Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement on Friday condemning the arson attack on the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne, Australia, and attacking the current Australian government.
"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," Netanyahu stated.
"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," Prime Minister attacked, mentioning Australia's decision to refuse a visa to former Minister Ayelet Shaked.
"Anti-Israel sentiment is antisemitism," he concluded.
Firefighters were summoned to the scene shortly after 4 a.m. local time on Friday morning and found the Adass Israel synagogue completely engulfed in flames.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony 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.”