The public space in Australia has never been quite right since Hamas inflicted its barbarism on Israel on October 7, 2023. Truly shocking in its cruelty, no event since the Holocaust has affected the people of Israel and the Jewish diaspora, especially in Australia, so profoundly. Also in the wake of the attacks, supporters of Palestine felt emboldened to take to the streets and some marchers chanted “From the river to the sea” and waved flags of organisations that challenged Israel’s right to exist.

A schism opened. It widened further as the Israeli government laid waste to Gaza as it sought to wipe out Hamas, with an estimated 70,000 deaths. The world looked on as the death toll rose. A ceasefire has been in place in Gaza since October.

Anthony Albanese at the scene of the Bondi Beach massacre on Monday.Credit: AAP

It is impossible to overstate the searing pain felt by so many people over what happened on Sunday, which is a stain on our country. Fifteen innocent people have died and 41 have been injured. The deliberate, cold-hearted way in which the violence took place chills to the bone. The nation will need a long time to recover.

The critique of Anthony Albanese is that the rise in antisemitism in Australia since October 7, 2023, led directly to Sunday’s Bondi terrorist attack, and is in part due to his prime ministership. Taken together, the criticisms are that he was not merely inactive, allowing it to flourish (Sussan Ley), but that he managed to spur it on by recognising the state of Palestine in a moment of heightened self-satisfaction (John Howard).

The rise in antisemitism from incidents of personal abuse to

© The Sydney Morning Herald