Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attacked Australia’s leader on Sunday as nations expressed shock and sympathy over a mass shooting at a Jewish holiday event, saying he warned Prime Minister Anthony Albanese that “your call for a Palestinian state pours fuel on the anti-Semitic fire.”
Netanyahu during the war in Gaza has repeatedly sought to link widespread calls for a Palestinian state, and criticism of Israel’s military offensive in the territory following the 2023 Hamas attack, with growing incidents of anti-Semitism around the world.
While others in Israel’s government on Sunday also urged Australia to do more against a surge in anti-Semitic attacks, Netanyahu went further to try to link the Sydney attack that killed at least 11 people, including an Israeli, to supporting a Palestinian state.
Australia was among several countries to formally recognize a Palestinian state in September at a United Nations meeting of world leaders. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 159 countries have recognized Palestine. The vast majority of the international community believes that a two-state solution is the only way to end decades of conflict.
Netanyahu’s government said the international push for a Palestinian state would reward Hamas.
Here are some global reactions to the shooting in Australia:
Iran
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said that “terrorism and the killing of people, wherever it occurs, is unacceptable and must be condemned.” Australia in August severed diplomatic relations with Iran and accused it of masterminding anti-Semitic arson attacks in Sydney and Melbourne.
the United States
President Donald Trump called the shooting a “purely anti-Semitic attack,” and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said “anti-Semitism has no place in this world.”
Britain
King Charles III said he was “shocked and saddened.” He also leads the Commonwealth, and the office of Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Sunday said that Herzog had reached the king in September warning of an “epidemic of antisemitism” in three Commonwealth countries: Britain, Canada and Australia.
Meanwhile, the police in London said they will increase security in Jewish sites.
Germany
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that the attack “left me speechless” and added that “this is an attack on our common values. We must stop this antisemitism, here in Germany and around the world.”
United Nations
Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he was horrified and that “My heart is with the Jewish community around the world on this first day of Hannukah, a festival that celebrates the miracle of peace and light that overcomes darkness.”
India
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the “terrible terrorist attack” and said that “we stand in solidarity with the people of Australia in this hour of sorrow.”
World Jewish Congress
The president of the organization, Ronald Lauder, said that “No community should ever be afraid to come together to celebrate its faith, traditions, or identity,” and added: “Make no mistake, this will not break us.”
Australia
“I am surrounded by antisemitic graffiti constantly. I think of our community in the east (of Sydney), and as a Christian, I just want to declare that I am with the people of Israel,” Anglican pastor Matt Graham told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. He said he was leading a service at the nearby Bondi Anglican Church when panicked people started to come in to take it.