In Wake of Hanukkah Massacre in Sydney, Netanyahu Blames Australian Prime Minister for Fostering an Environment of Antisemitism

Latest Developments

Albanese’s Policies ‘Encouraging Antisemitism’: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reminded his Australian counterpart, Anthony Albanese, of an earlier warning “that the Australian government’s policy was promoting and encouraging antisemitism in Australia.” Speaking in the aftermath of the December 14 massacre at a Hanukkah celebration on Sydney’s Bondi Beach, which left at least 15 people dead and dozens more injured, Netanyahu said that the Australian government’s policies, particularly its recognition of a Palestinian state in September, “pours fuel on the antisemitic fire, rewards Hamas terror, emboldens those who menace Australian Jews and encourages the Jew hatred now stalking your streets.” Albanese rejected the allegation, saying that “overwhelmingly, most of the world recognizes a two-state solution as the way forward in the Middle East.”
Shooters Traveled to ISIS Hotspot: Just weeks before the attack, the alleged shooters, father and son Sajid Akram, 50, and Naveed Akram, 24, reportedly visited the Philippines, home to the Islamic State of East Asia terrorist organization. Australia’s Joint Counter Terrorism Team discovered two improvised explosive devices and an ISIS flag inside the shooters’ vehicle parked near Bondi Beach. Despite the Australian authorities having investigated Naveed Akram for ties to terrorist organizations in October 2019, Albanese claimed that an “assessment was made that there was no indication of any ongoing threat or threat of him engaging in violence.”
Trump Calls Attack ‘Purely Antisemitic’: President Donald Trump told American Jews to “celebrate proudly” in the wake of the massacre, calling it a “purely antisemitic attack.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the attacks, emphasizing that “antisemitism has no place in this world.” Australia’s head of state, King Charles III, stated that he was “ appalled and saddened by the most dreadful antisemitic terrorist attack,” calling on Australians “to rally together in unity and resolve.”

FDD Expert Response

“The abominable massacre of Jews in Sydney celebrating Hanukkah is having a traumatic effect on Jewish communities around the world. In North America and Europe, as well as in Australia, Jews are asking themselves whether they have a viable future in the Western democracies — and whether governments are committed to protecting them.” — Ben Cohen, Senior Analyst and Rapid Response Director

“It is relatively easy to condemn an attack on a Hanukkah celebration in which 15 Jews are murdered for celebrating their religion. It is much harder to recognize how the hostile rhetoric directed at Israel has encouraged attacks on Jewish communities worldwide — a globalization of the intifada. The wall-to-wall media coverage hostile to Israel and ‘human rights’ campaigns that paint Israelis as bloodthirsty, child-killers have allowed antisemitic perpetrators to cast their actions as virtuous efforts to defend Palestinians.” — David May, Research Manager and Senior Research Analyst