Sky News Australia presenter Sharri Markson on Friday ripped Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese following the arson attack on the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne, decrying the Prime Minister’s lack of leadership in preventing such attacks from taking place.
“It's impossible to overstate how devastating, how truly heart-wrenching this is for the entire Jewish community today across the country and, in fact, across the world. A synagogue, a Jewish place of worship, was firebombed, was set alight in Australia in 2024. Just the thought of it brings tears to my eyes. How can Jews in our country not be safe going to a synagogue?” said Markson, who is Jewish.
She then added, “It's not an isolated incident because just two days ago on Wednesday night, while I was going to air during my show, the great synagogue in Sydney was in lockdown because there were aggressive pro-Palestinian protests outside. We saw plans for another protest last week in Melbourne outside a synagogue.”
“There hasn't been enough political leadership to say, ‘You cannot protest outside a synagogue!’, and so when there were two Jews arrested just two days ago outside the great synagogue for holding the Israeli flag outside the great synagogue, yet none of the protesters were arrested. And why were they protesting outside a synagogue? They shouldn't have been allowed to protest outside a Jewish place of worship. What can their protest be against the Jewish people?...But when no action is taken, then one thing leads to another and you can see how a synagogue was then firebombed.”
“We have not seen political leadership from the Prime Minister on this issue,” Markson continued. “I can't tell you how angry I am! Truly angry to hear him just say, as he did then, that antisemitism has been around for a long time, because that is abdicating his leadership on this issue.”
“Since October 7, 2023, he is the Prime Minister. It is his responsibility. And fine, [antisemitism has] been around a long time, for thousands of years, but not in Australia it hasn't, not in my lifetime. This is an unprecedented rise in Australia in antisemitism since October 7, 2023. It is on his watch, it is his responsibility to show leadership on it. He said the bare minimum on this issue over the past year. He hasn't shown leadership or strength and that's why we end up in this situation right now where a synagogue is firebombed,” stated Markson.
Albanese condemned the attack on the synagogue, stating, "I have zero tolerance for antisemitism. It has absolutely no place in Australia. This violence and intimidation and destruction at a place of worship is an outrage. This attack has risked lives and is clearly aimed at creating fear in the community. The people involved must be caught and face the full force of the law."
He added, "This deliberate, unlawful attack goes against everything we are as Australians and everything we have worked so hard to build as a nation.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu published a statement condemning the arson attack on the Melbourne synagogue and linking it to the Australian government’s position on Israel.
"The burning of the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne is an abhorrent act of antisemitism. I expect the state authorities to use their full weight to prevent such antisemitic acts in the future,” said Netanyahu.
“Unfortunately, it is impossible to separate this reprehensible act from the extreme anti-Israeli position of the Labor government in Australia, including the scandalous decision to support the UN resolution calling on Israel ‘to bring an end to its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as rapidly as possible’, and preventing a former Israeli minister from entering the country,” added Netanyahu, in a reference to Australia's decision to refuse a visa to former Minister Ayelet Shaked.
“Anti-Israel sentiment is antisemitism," stressed Netanyahu.
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)