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Australia and Israel are buying and selling diplomatic blows with either side taking actions in opposition to the opposite’s officers.
On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a scathing assertion accusing Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of betraying Israel.
“Historical past will bear in mind Albanese for what he’s: A weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia’s Jews,” Netanyahu mentioned.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese betrayed Israel and deserted Australian Jews. (Anna Moneymaker/Tracey Nearmy/Getty Photos)
AUSTRALIA TO RECOGNIZE PALESTINIAN STATEHOOD: ‘HUMANITY’S BEST HOPE’
Albanese introduced final week that Australia will recognize a Palestinian state on the United Nations Basic Meeting in September. The transfer follows comparable commitments made by the U.Ok., France and Canada. Moreover, Australia additionally canceled the visa of Non secular Zionist Occasion lawmaker Simcha Rothman, a part of Netanyahu’s coalition.
Rothman was set to embark on a “solidarity tour” to fulfill with Australia’s Jewish neighborhood because it grapples with surging antisemitism.
“The timing of the cancellation on the final minute was spiteful and supposed to trigger most hurt to the Australian Jewish neighborhood. Mr. Rothman obtained his cancellation on the day he was to go to the airport for his flight,” Australian Jewish Affiliation (AJA) CEO Robert Gregory mentioned in an announcement posted to the group’s Fb. “The message from the Albanese Authorities to Jews is obvious and we urge all Jews to noticeably contemplate whether or not it’s secure for them to go to Australia underneath this authorities.”
Regardless of the ban, AJA organized for Rothman to handle the Jewish neighborhood nearly, saying “the present will go on” and “the Jew-haters is not going to win.”
“The Jewish neighborhood will not bow all the way down to Tony Burke or Penny Wong. As an alternative of many occasions, we’ll maintain one giant communal occasion the place Simcha will handle the Jewish neighborhood by way of Zoom,” AJA introduced on X.
Graffiti on a fence praising Oct. 7 Hamas bloodbath in opposition to Israelis. (Govt Council of Australian Jewry )
ANTISEMITIC ATTACKERS VIOLENTLY TARGET SYNAGOGUE, ISRAELI RESTAURANT IN AUSTRALIA
“The Jewish neighborhood in Australia has suffered a wave of antisemitism in latest occasions. When the Jewish neighborhood invited a senior Israeli politician to fulfill a number of the victims and see the harm, the Australian authorities responded by banning him a number of hours earlier than his flight,” AJA CEO Robert Gregory instructed Fox Information Digital.
“Senior figures within the Australian authorities have been radical left-wing activists of their youth, and their insurance policies are fueling division and antisemitism. It is unhappy to see the Australian authorities trash its longstanding friendship with Israel. Many in Australia are hoping the USA will converse up or take motion in regards to the antisemitism disaster in Australia,” Gregory added.
In response, Israeli Overseas Minister Gideon Sa’ar mentioned he would revoke visas for Australian representatives to the Palestinian Authority. He additionally directed Israel’s embassy in Canberra to “rigorously look at any official Australian visa utility.”
“Whereas antisemitism is raging in Australia, together with manifestations of violence in opposition to Jews and Jewish establishments, the Australian authorities is selecting to gasoline it by false accusations, as if the go to of Israeli figures will disrupt public order and hurt Australia’s Muslim inhabitants,” Sa’ar wrote on X. “It’s shameful and unacceptable!”
AJA praised Sa’ar’s resolution, saying that “The disgusting antisemitism from the Albanese authorities deserves a robust response.”
A member of the Jewish neighborhood recovers a Torah scroll from the Adass Israel Synagogue on Dec. 6, 2024, in Melbourne, Australia. (Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Photos)
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Australia’s Jews have seen antisemitism surge since Hamas’ Oct. 7 bloodbath. In keeping with an annual report launched by Govt Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ), from Oct. 1, 2023, to Sept. 30, 2024, the nation noticed 2,062 anti-Jewish incidents. This marked a rise of 316% since its report of the earlier yr — Oct. 1, 2022, to Sept. 30, 2023 — when there have been 495 recorded incidents. ECAJ has but to launch a report for 2025.
The report paperwork assaults, verbal abuse, vandalism and different incidents. When damaged down into classes, anti-Jewish bodily assaults rose by 491% because the earlier report and verbal abuse elevated by 230% over the identical interval.
Fox Information Digital reached out to AJA and Albanese’s workplace however didn’t obtain responses in time for publication.
