Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says attack on Melbourne synagogue ‘impossible’ to separate from Australia’s UN vote

On Wednesday, Australia broke with the US and its previous practice of abstaining from such votes to join 156 other UN countries in calling for “Israel to end its illegal presence in the occupied Palestinian territory as quickly as possible”.

The Adass Israel Synagogue in Ripponlea was devastated by a fire that started at around 4.10am on Friday, with witnesses claiming the offenders were inside and pouring liquid on the floor before setting it alight.

Police are looking for three men believed to be involved.

Investigators are not speculating about a motive for the attack, but Prime Minister Anthony Albanese led a chorus of condemnation, describing it as an anti-Semitic hate crime.

Anti-terrorist police have also joined the investigation.

In an X post, Netanyahu, whose oversight of Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza has drawn international criticism, accusations of genocide and mass protests in Israel, called the attack a “horrific act of anti-Semitism.”

“Unfortunately, it is impossible to separate this reprehensible act from the extreme anti-Israel stance of the Labor government in Australia, including the scandalous decision to support a UN resolution calling on Israel to ‘end its illegal presence in the occupied Palestinian Territory as soon as possible. -quickly” and preventing a former Israeli minister from entering the country,” Netanyahu wrote.

Meanwhile, Israeli President Isaac Herzog also reached out to X to confirm that he had spoken with Albanese.

“Following the atrocities committed by Hamas against Israel on and after 7 October 2023, there has been an intolerable wave of attacks against Jewish communities in Australia and around the world,” he said.

“I noted to the Prime Minister that this rise and increasingly serious anti-Semitic attacks on the Jewish community require firm and strong action and that this is a message that needs to be heard clearly by Australia’s leaders.

“I thanked him for his continued efforts to combat anti-Semitism and expressed my confidence that local law enforcement agencies will do everything in their power to bring the perpetrators to justice.”

Synagogue board member Benjamin Klein said the increased threats and abuse had been going on for several months.

“There are quite a few screams and calls and people walking past. The community has been on edge for the past few months,” he said.

“It’s absolutely shocking, I didn’t think this would happen to us in Melbourne.”

Police said they were working with Melbourne’s Jewish community to provide support and had deployed extra patrols.

The Adass Israel Synagogue was built by family members of Holocaust survivors more than 70 years ago.

An online fundraising campaign to restore it has already raised more than $130,000.