A Labor cabinet member has hit back at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statement that it was “impossible to separate” a suspected arson attack on a Melbourne synagogue with the Australian government’s support of a United Nations resolution calling on Israel to end to its “unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory”.
A fire tore through the Adass Israel synagogue in Ripponlea on Friday morning after suspected masked intruders allegedly broke into the building and set it alight.
While police are still investigating the motive behind the attack, they believe the incident was “deliberate” and “targeted”.
In a post on X on Saturday, the Israeli prime minister said the fire was “an abhorrent act of antisemitism”, before criticising the Albanese government.
“I expect the state authorities to use their full weight to prevent such antisemitic acts in the future,” Netanyahu wrote.
“Unfortunately, it is impossible to separate this reprehensible act from the extreme anti-Israeli position of the Labor government in Australia,” he added, referencing and denying on grounds she could threaten social cohesion.
In response, Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Murray Watt said he “respectfully disagrees”.
“Australia … has stood with 156 other countries in supporting that resolution as another step towards gaining peace in the Middle East,” Watt said.
Regarding claims that Labor hasn’t done enough to combat antisemitism, Health Minister Mark Butler said: “The level of antisemitism that has taken place here in Australia since the October 7 Hamas attacks is appalling. We’ve been doing all we can to assist the community to stay safe.”
Albanese issues second statement
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made further comments about the suspected attack in , saying: “In this deeply distressing time, I want every member of the Jewish community to know our government unequivocally condemns the prejudice you have been targeted with.”
“We stand with you. Because every Australian has the right to worship in peace and safety, to be proud of who they are and to feel welcome and supported in our nation, your home.”
Albanese said on Friday that he has “zero tolerance for antisemitism”.
“This attack has risked lives and is clearly aimed at creating fear in the community.
Police believe the suspected arson incident was a “deliberate” and “targeted” attack. Source: SBS News
“This deliberate, unlawful act goes against everything we are as Australians and everything we have worked so hard to build as a nation.”
Israel’s President Isaac Herzog said on Friday evening he had spoken with Albanese about the synagogue fire and condemned the wave of attacks on Jewish communities.
“I noted to the prime minister that this rise and the increasingly serious antisemitic attacks on the Jewish community required firm and strong action, and that this was a message that must be heard clearly from Australia’s leaders,” he said.
“I thanked him for his ongoing efforts to combat antisemitism, and expressed my trust that the local law enforcement would do everything in their power to bring the perpetrators to justice.”
Opposition: Albanese owes Jewish community an explanation
Opposition Home Affairs spokesperson James Patterson weighed in on the Adass Israel incident on Saturday, saying that Albanese should explain why his government had not yet categorised the suspected arson attack as an act of terrorism.
“Certainly the Australian Jewish community feels like this was an act of terrorism. They feel terrorised. They feel this was an act of terror,” he said.
“And it is very difficult to understand what else we should call two men, in the middle of the night, seeking to set on fire a synagogue while there were Jews praying inside, as anything other than an act of terrorism.”
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has said that “counterterrorism officials are engaged on the issue”.
“I have been briefed by security agencies and they are going through the detailed work we would expect,” he said in a statement sent to SBS News on Saturday.
Australia reverses UN stance on Israeli presence in Gaza and West Bank
Netanyahu’s comments came just days after calling on Israel to “end its unlawful presence” in the occupied Palestinian territories — Gaza and the West Bank — “as rapidly as possible”
Australia was among 157 countries that supported the resolution, while eight voted against it, including the United States and Israel. Seven countries abstained from voting.
It was the first time Australia had voted in support of Israel withdrawing from Palestinian territories since 2001. In May, Australia voted to recognise Palestine as qualified to become a full UN member.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton critiqued Australia’s decision to support the resolution, saying: “The Albanese government is chasing Green votes and has been prepared to sacrifice the wellbeing of the Jewish community in Australia to do so.”
It’s believed the damage caused to the inside of the Adass Israel synagogue is significant, with one congregation member estimating millions of dollars worth of holy books and precious handwritten Torah scrolls were inside.
Two congregants were inside at the time, preparing for morning prayers, with one sustaining minor injuries.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said “every available resource” would be deployed to find the arsonists and committed $100,000 to help rebuild the synagogue. She also confirmed there would be increased police presence in the Jewish community over the coming days, including at synagogues and in public community spaces.
Palestinian advocates also criticise Netanyahu’s claims
The Australian Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN) said the blaze couldn’t be blamed on Australia supporting international law.
“Netanyahu’s attempt to cast Australia as ‘antisemitic’ for its opposition to illegal occupation and apartheid is a shameless distraction from his government’s crimes against humanity in Palestine,” APAN president Nasser Mashni said in a statement on Saturday.
“A war criminal under investigation for genocide has no standing to lecture Australia on morality or justice.”
Netanyahu is the first Western leader to be accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
In November, the ICC and his former defence chief Yoav Gallant, as well as Hamas leader Ibrahim al-Masri, also known as Mohammed Diab.
With reporting by the Australian Associated Press
