More now from Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who spoke to public broadcaster ABC earlier on Monday. He rejected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s accusation that recognizing a Palestinian state fuelled antisemitism following the deadly attack on Bondi Beach, which targeted a Jewish gathering.
Asked about the criticism from Netanyahu, Albanese told ABC he did not see a link between the two events.
“And overwhelmingly, most of the world recognizes a two-state solution as being the way forward in the Middle East,” Albanese added. His government recognized a Palestinian state in September, alongside several other countries like Britain, Canada and France.
For context: Jewish leaders had warned the Australian government about rising antisemitism for years. A report by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry found that there were 1,654 antisemitic incidents last year, a threefold annual increase since the October 7 attacks in 2023.
Albanese appointed a Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism last year as well as an anti-Islamophobia envoy, to address retaliation against the Palestinian community and their supporters.
Following the attack, Albanese said on Sunday his role was to “bring the nation together” in a “moment of national unity.”
