The deadly gun attack on Hanukkah celebrations in Sydney has been widely condemned in the Middle East, with Israel laying blame at Australia's stance on the Palestine conflict.
The shooting, carried out by a father and son, shocked Australia and Jewish communities worldwide, with many quick to criticise the country’s leadership for ignoring warnings about rising anti-Semitism.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese proposed tightening gun laws following the mass shooting, after authorities revealed one of the suspects had held a gun licence for a decade and amassed six guns legally. Officials believe those weapons were used in the attack.
The shooting at Bondi Beach killed at least 15 people. Another 27 remain in hospital, some in critical condition.
Mourners lay flowers at Bondi Pavilion a day after the shooting in Sydney. Getty Images
Mr Albanese nonetheless faced strong criticism, including from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said the Australian government’s recent recognition of a Palestinian state had fuelled an “anti-Semitic fire” in the country.
Mr Netanyahu said he had urged Mr Albanese in August to “replace weakness with action” in a letter warning about rising anti-Jewish hatred, but the Australian leader instead “replaced weakness with weakness and appeasement with more appeasement”.
Mr Albanese rejected the Israeli Prime Minister’s attempt to link recognition of Palestine to the attack. “Most of the world recognises a two-state solution as being the way forward in the Middle East,” he said in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Israeli officials have increasingly criticised Australia’s government amid widespread protests against the Gaza war. There has also been a rise in anti-Semitic incidents since the war in Gaza broke out on October 7, 2023, including attacks, vandalism and har
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