Daijiworld Media Network - Jerusalem

Jerusalem, Dec 15: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday sharply criticised Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese over Canberra’s support for Palestinian statehood, following a deadly mass shooting at a Jewish holiday gathering in Sydney that left 11 people dead.

In a strongly worded response, Netanyahu argued that Australia’s position on recognising a Palestinian state was contributing to a rise in antisemitic violence. Addressing Albanese, he said that Australia’s advocacy for Palestinian statehood was “pouring fuel on the antisemitic fire,” directly linking the policy stance to the attack in Sydney.

Since the outbreak of the Gaza war, Netanyahu has repeatedly drawn connections between international criticism of Israel’s military actions, growing diplomatic support for Palestinian statehood, and what he describes as a global surge in antisemitism. Other senior Israeli officials also called on Australia to adopt tougher measures to counter antisemitic incidents, though Netanyahu went further by explicitly tying the Sydney shooting to Australia’s diplomatic position on Palestine.

Australia was among a group of countries that formally recognised Palestine as a state during a United Nations gathering in September. According to the Palestinian foreign ministry, Palestine has now been recognised by 159 countries worldwide.

While most of the international community continues to back a two-state solution as the most viable way to end the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Netanyahu’s government has rejected this approach under current conditions. Israeli leaders argue that mounting international pressure for Palestinian statehood effectively rewards Hamas, particularly in the context of the ongoing war in Gaza.