Benjamin Netanyahu has made harsh statements against the Australian government in his first statements since the terrorist attack that killed 12 people (including one of the perpetrators) on Sydney's Bondi Beach during a Hanukkah celebration.
The Israeli prime minister noted that in August he sent a letter to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, accusing him of adding fuel to the "fire of anti-Semitism."
Paraphrasing his letter, Netanyahu notes that Albanese's policy, which includes recognizing a Palestinian state, encourages "the hatred of Jews that now dominates your streets. Anti-Semitism is a cancer. It spreads when leaders are silent. You must replace weakness with action."
Netanyahu continues, saying the attack was "horrific. Cold-blooded murder. The number of victims is unfortunately increasing by the minute. We have seen the depth of evil. We have also seen the height of Jewish heroism," he says, pointing to a bystander who was filmed trying to grab the gun from one of the attackers.
“We are in a battle against global anti-Semitism, and the only way to confront it is to denounce it and fight it,” Netanyahu continued. “There is no other way. This is what we are doing in Israel. The IDF and our security forces, together with our government and our people, will continue to do this.”
In an indirect attack on the Australian government, Netanyahu emphasizes: “We will continue to denounce those who do not denounce, but encourage. We will continue to demand that the leaders of free nations do what is required. We will not surrender, we will not lower our heads, we will continue to fight as our ancestors did.”
