I’m writing this as an Israel-loving, proud diaspora Jew who is grieving. Not abstractly, not politically, but viscerally… after the mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia on Sunday. 15 people were killed and many more were injured.

Let’s say the obvious clearly: this was an antisemitic act of terror. The target was Jews celebrating Hanukkah. That alone should have unified every responsible leader on earth around two priorities: protect Jewish communities and crush antisemitism wherever it’s spreading.

Instead, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chose a different instinct… a familiar one. He looked at a murdered Jewish community and saw a political opportunity: to point a finger at Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, because Australia recognized the State of Palestine earlier this year (formal recognition took effect on September 21, 2025).

Netanyahu’s claim, per multiple reports, is that recognition “pours fuel” on an “antisemitic fire,” and that Albanese’s government “did nothing” to stop antisemitism. Albanese, asked directly whether he sees a link between recognition and the Bondi attack, said: No.

On this, Albanese is right and Netanyahu is being disingenuous.

Here’s what I refuse to accept: the idea that acknowledging Palestinian national aspirations is, by itself, an accelerant for antisemitic violence.

Australia’s recognition of Palestine was framed by the Albanese........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)