SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Sunday that the suspected Melbourne synagogue arson attack appeared to be a hoax, a day after his Israeli counterpart said the Labor government had encouraged the attack with anti-Israel policies.
“The atrocity that took place in the synagogue in Melbourne was designed to create fear in the community and therefore from my personal point of view it meets the definition of terrorism,” Albanese said at a press conference in Perth.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that the Adass Israel synagogue fire, which began on Friday, cannot be separated from the “anti-Israeli spirit” of the Albanian center-left government whose policies include support for the recent UN motion. the land of Palestine.
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The Australian government defended its record on the controversy, saying on Saturday that since the Albanians took office in May 2022 the government had provided $25 million to improve security at Jewish sites including schools, banned the Nazi salute and taken action against hate speech.
Laws passed last year also banned the public display of terrorist group symbols.
Police are still looking for two people suspected of intentionally setting a fire that injured one person and caused multiple injuries.
Australia has experienced a rise in antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents since the start of the Israel-Gaza war in October 2023. Some Jewish groups have said the government has not done enough in response.
Most of the pro-Palestinian protests over the past year have been peaceful. However, the government has expressed its concern that the protest may cause conflict in the community and affect social harmony.
(Reporting by Sam McKeith in Sydney; Editing by Michael Perry and Christopher Cushing)