Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has ignored the issue of antisemitism in his country, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused during a Sky News interview on Friday.
Albanese needs to “wake up,” Netanyahu said in an interview published only days after 15 people were massacred in an attack on Bondi Beach.
Netanyahu said the Bondi terror attack could have been prevented, and the “writing was on the wall.”
Asserting the victims, including 10-year-old Matilda, would still be alive had Albanese heeded warnings, Netanyahu urged his Australian counterpart to act on intelligence, crack down on pro-Palestinian demonstrations, and take a stronger stance against Islamist cells.
"It was bound to reach these tragic outcomes, just as I warned Prime Minister Albanese," he said. "In my letter to Prime Minister Albanese a few months ago, I stated clearly you’re going to have this uptick, it’s going to happen, there’s no question about it.
"I say now to the Australian government, damn it, wake up! You don’t need any more warnings; you’ve already received enough.
"It may be late in the game, but better late than never. There’s time for action now. I hope there’s action now because there certainly wasn’t up until now."
Netanyahu was critical of the fact that the 50-year-old gunman, who was known to ASIO, was allowed to have guns - calling such a decision “insane.”
Netanyahu also claimed that Australia’s recognition of Palestinian statehood encouraged attacks against Jewry.
"The message that was heard by this action was kill Jews, you’ll get rewarded," he said.
Speaking more on Australia’s domestic police, Netanyahu urged Albanese to scrutinize immigration applicants more carefully and provide more armed security for the Jewish community.
"You have to monitor those you let in,” Netanyahu said, noting the Gazans Australia has accepted in since October 7, 2023. "You should monitor who you let in, but you should also take action against those who you already let in and who are promoting this and are planning more murder."
"They hate Israel. They hate Jews. Let me tell you, they also hate Australia. They burn our flag, but they'll burn your flag, and they'll burn you,” he told the interviewer.
The New South Wales authority did not allow armed security outside of authorized locations, such as the synagogue, leaving gatherings like that of the Bondi Hanukkah celebrations vulnerable to attacks, according to Sky News.
"You cannot fight with your bare hands against someone who comes with a Kalashnikov or automatic rifle, it’s impossible," he said. "Just imagine, if you had on that beach, on that Hanukkah gathering, several armed people, several armed guards, 10, 15, even five, it would have been over.
"That’s what we’ve seen time and again in Israel, and that saves the da,y and I think that’s required right now. The world has changed; recognize the change.
"You see these Holocaust survivors, you see a 10-year-old girl, Matilda, snuffed out, that can be prevented, but you have to take action on intelligence, you have to tighten security, you have to act against radical cells, and you have to be prepared to stop these hate marches."
New South Wales Police Force asks Australians to pause protests in wake of Bondi attack
New South Wales Police Force has asked the public to pause their protests “due to recent events both here and overseas” and “come together peacefully” in the wake of the attack.
Noting that the force is aware of a number of planned unauthorised gatherings around the state this weekend, which have not gone through the formal process under the Summary Offences Act (1988), the police said it “strongly encouraged those planning or attending these events to reconsider.”
“There will be a significant policing response to any large-scale public gatherings, and this is not a time for large gatherings that may heighten tension or create further risk to the safety of the community,” the authorities asserted.