By Julian Cross
In a world already strained by the tensions of war, the events of this past week in Melbourne have added a new chapter to an already complex and fraught story. An arson attack on the Adass Israel Synagogue—an abhorrent act of hate—has sent shockwaves through Australia’s Jewish community. Two people were injured and a house of worship damaged.
The attack itself is among the most severe anti-Semitic incidents in Australia in years.
From Tel Aviv, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has voiced a sharp rebuke, accusing Australia’s Labor government of fostering an environment hostile to Israel. His words—stinging, direct—blame what he calls Canberra’s “extreme anti-Israel position” for fueling anti-Semitism and even for this attack itself.
The Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has condemned the act as “abhorrent,” pledging to bring those responsible to justice.
Yet, this diplomatic volley raises uncomfortable questions: what responsibility, if any, does policy bear for prejudice, and how do leaders reconcile outrage abroad with their own actions at home?
Netanyahu's intervention looks tin-earred when measured against the actions of his own government, which not only his critics, but the International Criminal Court says has unleashed devastating violence on civilian populations in Gaza.
Across the globe in Gaza, where the cries of children echo in ruined streets, the world’s moral compass spins. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, 44,500 Palestinians have been killed since the Israeli invasion began. Entire neighborhoods erased, 90% of the population displaced according to the Associated Press, and what remains is a grim theater of despair. Israel, defending its military operations, claims to have killed over 17,000 militants, though it gave the AP no evidence to support that claim.
The ICC has now stepped into this theater of war. On November 21, a panel of judges indicted Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, charging them with crimes against humanity and war crimes, including the use of starvation as a weapon. Israel, in turn, has rejected the ICC’s jurisdiction. Netanyahu has called the charges “absurd and false,” asserting that Israel does not recognize the ICC's jurisdiction, yet they linger, casting a long shadow over his government’s actions. He is the first Western leader to ever face such an indictment.
Hamas leader Mohammed Deif has not escaped the shadow of justice, and was also indicted, even in ambiguity. While Israel asserts that he was killed in a military operation this past July, Hamas publicly denies his death. The ICC faced with conflicting claims and no definitive proof, proceeded with its case.
Diplomatic tensions
In a stark and unexpected escalation of rhetoric, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has laid the blame for the firebombing of Melbourne’s Adass Israel Synagogue at the feet of the Australian Labor government, citing what he calls its “extreme anti-Israel position.” These words, sharp and deliberate, have intensified already strained diplomatic relations between Jerusalem and Canberra.
For his part, Albanese assured the community that authorities are actively investigating to bring the perpetrators to justice.
The Australian public is divided in the war and Gaza and support for Israel.
Polls across the last year have revealed a nation grappling with questions of morality, strategy, and the role of its own government.
In early November of 2023, a YouGov survey cast light on a critical fact: a majority of Australians—53 per cent—favor their government calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, a plea for the guns to fall silent and the cries of the suffering to be heard. Yet, the tide of unanimity stops short, with 26 per cent opposing such a call. On Israel’s blockade of Gaza, nearly half (46 per cent) view it as an act that strays beyond the bounds of reasonable self-defense, while 33 per cent see it otherwise.
A Roy Morgan survey conducted later in the month revealed that 49 per cent of Australians wish for their government to walk a neutral line in the conflict. But unity on neutrality wavers: 19 per cent lean toward greater support for Palestine, while 17 per cent urge solidarity with Israel. Curiously, many believe neutrality may be more aspirational than real. Some 39 per cent perceive the government as leaning toward Israel, a mere 10 per cent see favoring Palestine, and the rest seem caught in the shadows of indecision.
In another Roy Morgan poll, Australians find themselves divided nearly down the middle: 51 per cent call for the Israeli military to withdraw from Gaza immediately, while 49 per cent say otherwise. Here, the differences are clear. Women and younger Australians, perhaps more inclined toward empathy or diplomacy, form the backbone of the call for withdrawal. Conversely, older citizens and men, shaped perhaps by sterner decades, lean toward Israel maintaining its military posture.
And finally, recognition. The matter of Palestinian statehood, a long-simmering issue on the international stage, finds a chorus of support in Australia. A 2022 YouGov poll, though predating the current violence, shows a bipartisan consensus—Labor, Coalition, and Greens voters, all favor a sovereign Palestine, with numbers climbing as high as 79 per cent among Greens.
Netanyahu's criticism stems from Australia's recent foreign policy decisions, including support for a United Nations resolution urging an end to Israel's presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and the denial of a visa to former Israeli justice minister Ayelet Shaked. He argues that such positions embolden anti-Semitic actions and compromise the safety of Jewish communities worldwide.
Critics argue that while Israel has the right to defend itself, its actions must adhere to international humanitarian law, ensuring that military operations are proportionate and distinguish between combatants and civilians.
