In the wake of the shooting that targeted Jews celebrating Hannukkah in Bondi Beach, Australia, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attacked Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese over his support of a Palestinian state.
“On August 17, about four months ago, I sent Prime Minister Albanese of Australia a letter in which I gave him warning that the Australian government’s policy was promoting and encouraging antisemitism in Australia,” Netanyahu said at a government meeting in Dimona, southern Israel.
“I wrote: ‘Your call for a Palestinian state pours fuel on the antisemitic fire. It rewards Hamas terrorists. It emboldens those who menace Australian Jews and encourages the Jew hatred now stalking your streets,” Netanyahu said, adding that Albanese “replaced weakness with weakness and appeasement with more appeasement.”
The Israeli leader, who has been under significant criticism for his failure to prevent the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, said that Israel “expects” Western governments to take more “action.” Netanyahu also referenced Ahmed el Ahmed, who was seen on video wrestling one of the gunmen and taking his rifle away.
“We saw an action of a brave man–turns out a Muslim brave man, and I salute him–that stopped one of these terrorists from killing innocent Jews. But it requires the action of your government, which you are not taking,” Netanyahu said.
Two shooters attacked the Hannukkah celebration in Bondi, killing at least 15 people, including a 10-year-old girl. Australian police say the attackers were a father and son, a 50-year-old and a 24-year-old, and the father was a licensed gun owner. The 24-year-old was previously identified as Naveed Akram and said to be Pakistani.
