Australia Won’t Be Divided, Says Albanese After Netanyahu Accuses Him Of Fuelling Antisemitism

Last Updated:December 15, 2025, 07:09 IST

The remarks followed a shooting targeting Jewish attendees at a Hanukkah event in Bondi.

People lay flowers at a site outside the Bondi Pavilion in memory of the victims of a shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney. (IMAGE: AFP)

Hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the Australian government of failing to curb antisemitism following the Bondi Beach attack, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australia would not submit to hatred or division.

A father-and-son team toting long-barrelled guns shot and killed 15 people including a 10-year-old girl at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, authorities said Monday, labelling it an antisemitic terrorist attack.

In a video message posted on X, Albanese condemned the violence and sought to strike a unifying note. “Yesterday was a dark day in our nation’s history. But we are stronger than the cowards who did this. We refuse to let them divide us," he said.

“Australia will never submit to division, violence or hatred, and we will come through this together," the Prime Minister added.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Canberra of having fuelled antisemitism in the period leading up to the shooting.

“A few months ago I wrote to the Australian prime minister that your policy is pouring oil on the fire of antisemitism," he said, referring to a letter he sent to Anthony Albanese in August following Canberra’s announcement that it would recognise Palestinian statehood.

“Antisemitism is a cancer that spreads when leaders are silent," Netanyahu added during a televised public address at an event in southern Israel.

News world Australia Won’t Be Divided, Says Albanese After Netanyahu Accuses Him Of Fuelling Antisemitism

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