Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said Israel views the deadly terrorist attack at a Hanukkah event in Sydney with utmost severity and warned that antisemitism has been allowed to become normalized in Australia over the past two years.
Speaking in an interview with Sky News Australia following the attack, which left 15 people dead, Sa'ar said Israel's immediate priority is to stand with Australia's Jewish community in the aftermath of what he described as a "horrible terror attack."
"First of all, it's our will to strengthen the Jewish community of Australia, our brothers and sisters that faced this horrible terror attack and facing a huge wave of antisemitism during all the last two years," Sa'ar said.
Sa'ar confirmed that Minister Amichai Chikli, whose portfolio includes relations with Jewish communities, is currently en route to Australia. He added that additional Israeli representatives may also visit at a later stage.
According to Sa'ar, Israel has repeatedly urged Australian authorities to take stronger action against antisemitism, citing incidents such as synagogue arsons, public displays of hatred, and incitement both online and in public discourse.
He specifically criticized slogans such as "globalize the intifada," stating that the term refers to violence against Jews and should not be considered legitimate political expression. "This kind of slogans are not part of the free speech," Sa'ar said, adding that they are "very dangerous" and constitute incitement.
Sa'ar said he spoke twice within 24 hours with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and stressed that governments face a clear choice when confronting antisemitism. "With antisemitism you have an alternative to fight against it or to normalize it," he said. "Our feelings were, and I'm very sad to say that, that during the last two years, antisemitism was normalized in Australia."
Asked about media reports suggesting Israel may have provided advance warnings to Australia regarding a possible attack, Sa'ar declined to comment. "I don't want to refer in any way to messages like that," he said, adding that such matters are not how relations between the two countries should be conducted.
He concluded by reiterating Israel's expectation that a significant policy shift must now take place. "Calls like 'from the river to the sea' or 'globalizing the intifada' are not legitimate and are not part of the public debate," Sa'ar said. "They shouldn't."