Netanyahu condemns ‘reprehensible antisemitic attacks' in Melbourne
About 20 people were taking part in Shabbat inside the historic Albert Street synagogue when flammable liquid was poured on the front door of the building and it was set alight.
On Sunday, police presence will be ramped up at a pro-Palestine rally after multiple incidents allegedly targeting the Jewish community in Melbourne on Friday night.
A group of about 20 people, some masked and wearing Palestinian keffiyeh scarves, entered the CBD Israeli restaurant, Miznon, at 8.15pm.
Vision from the Miznon incident shows diners screaming in fear inside the Hardware Lane restaurant, which is part-owned by an Israeli entrepreneur who has been promoting a controversial aid group in Gaza.
Israel's president Isaac Herzog, a member of the Israeli Labor Party, also weighed in, saying: 'This is not the first such attack in Australia in recent months.'
The remarks from Netanyahu – who, along with Hamas leaders, is the subject of an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court over Israel's operations in Gaza – represent his second thrust into Australian affairs. Amid a spate of attacks on Australian Jewish sites in December, Netanyahu claimed the Australian government was not doing enough to curb antisemitism. Some of those alleged crimes involved organised criminals.
Australia has taken an increasingly hard line against Netanyahu's government for its actions in Gaza and comments from far-right members of Netanyahu's cabinet, who were sanctioned by Australia last month for allegedly inciting violence against Palestinians.
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Netanyahu has become increasingly isolated diplomatically as New Zealand, Canada, the UK and Australia, all traditional friends of Israel, have criticised the length and severity of the war in Gaza following Hamas' October 7 massacre.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Premier Jacinta Allan both condemned the Melbourne incidents on Saturday.
'Antisemitism has no place in Australia,' Albanese said. 'Those responsible for these shocking acts must face the full force of the law, and my government will provide all necessary support toward this effort.'
Allan said: 'This is disgraceful behaviour by a pack of cowards.'
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Sydney Morning Herald
32 minutes ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘I won't shake his hand': In a sport full of confected hate, SBW-Gallen feud is very real
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The Age
37 minutes ago
- The Age
‘I won't shake his hand': In a sport full of confected hate, SBW-Gallen feud is very real
The news comes as no surprise to Williams. 'He said he isn't going to shake my hand and I couldn't give two flying f's, to tell the truth,' Williams counters. 'I don't have hate for anyone, I'm a pretty cruisy guy. But at the end of the day, it is what it is. I'm one to stand up for myself and what I believe in, 150 per cent. That's my path. 'You don't want to shake my hand, I don't give two damns. But I'm going to win this fight.' After more than a decade of false starts, Williams and Gallen will finally enter the ring at Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena on Wednesday night. The fight will be held over eight two-minute rounds – another point of contention – with each expected to walk away with an even split of about $1 million each. The one thing the former footballers agree on is that this will be their final fight; one last hurrah before retiring. Already they have registered low blows, delighting in digging up each other's drugs dramas: Gallen's involvement in Cronulla's peptides scandal, dubbed the 'blackest day in Australian sport'; Williams' admission that he dabbled in illicit substances early in his league career. Their first face-off will be at a press conference on Monday, although both have thrown barbs from afar. When Williams finally gets the chance to stare down his opponent, what does he expect to see? 'I see a fraud, that's what I see,' he says. 'I see a guy who would argue with a five-year-old kid to prove his point. We just don't mix; he's not my cup of tea. He never has been, never will be. 'The only difference is he has a track record of making it personal with every fight he's had. For me, it's the first time it's felt like a real fight, not a sports event. 'I've got to get through the next couple of days, listen to him talk trash, say things to try to rile me up. But the reality is the one who has been riled up the most is him. He doesn't like the facts that have been pointed out that the media cover up. This guy is a drug cheat. 'He's in the NSW hall of fame. What for? For the longest losing streak? [A reference to his stint as NSW Origin skipper]. 'This is not a good human being, and he's the one trying to come to me and give a moral lesson. No thank you. 'The next few days can't pass fast enough. I just want to get to fight night and show him how limited he is.' Both men have been able to parlay their feats and notoriety into a mammoth payday. Neither pretends to be world-class, but both can hold up their hands. Williams was once the New Zealand heavyweight champion and briefly a WBA titleholder, while Gallen's only losses, against the credentialled Justin Huni and Kris Terzievski, gained him the most respect from the purists. Their boxing legacy will be bringing new eyeballs to a sport, with promoters hoping that record numbers will tune in when their stoush is shown live and exclusively on Stan which, like this masthead, is owned by Nine Entertainment. To date, Gallen's most famous punch was delivered on the footy field, to the head of Nate Myles during the 2013 State of Origin series. It remains to be seen whether he can land a more memorable blow on Williams. 'That would be nice,' Gallen says. 'I'm not proud of that [Myles punch]. I'd much rather have won the series than throw a punch.' Some bookmakers haven't been able to split the pair. At 39, Williams is four years younger and has a decided reach advantage. Gallen's challenge will be finding enough time within the allotted 16 minutes to get close enough to land meaningful blows from close range. 'I win because I have the better skill set, and I've gone a long way in correcting what happened last fight,' Williams says of the only blemish on his professional record, a KO loss to Mark Hunt. 'What the bloke in the last fight had, this bloke doesn't have – true knockout power. Paul doesn't have that.' There will be no secret to Gallen's approach. Just like he did on the footy field, the former NSW and Cronulla skipper will keep marching forward. Loading 'Sonny Bill and his coaches would have gone into games hoping he would play well, hoping he would find a flick pass or make a break or score a try,' Gallen says. 'My coach never had to worry about that, they always knew what they were going to get. That's what is going to happen in this fight. He knows I'm going to be in front of him. There's no secret to this fight, what I'm going to do, how I'm going to fight. He knows I'm going to be there. 'Is he good enough to knock me out? I don't think he is. I'm going to be relentless and I'll wear him out.'
West Australian
an hour ago
- West Australian
Protests, criticisms of anti-Semitism report continue
Pro-Palestine protesters have marched in small numbers in the wake of a contentious plan to combat anti-Semitism including the assertion funds should be stripped from non-compliant arts bodies. The recommendation to axe support for publicly funded institutions and festivals that promote or fail to effectively deal with hate speech features in a report by Australia's anti-Semitism envoy Jillian Segal. The federal government is considering the advice in a bid to combat growing discrimination against Jewish Australians. Criticism of the report has also focused on Ms Segal's recommendation Australia adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of anti-Semitism, some arguing that it conflates the notion with criticism of Israel and Zionism. While "unequivocally" condemning anti-Semitism, the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils says it is deeply concerned by the report. "This plan, drafted by a politically appointed, unelected official, risks undermining free expression, marginalising already vulnerable communities and conflating legitimate criticism of the State of Israel and its policies with anti-Semitism," it said on Saturday. "Combating anti-Semitism is a shared responsibility but it cannot come at the cost of justice, free speech and the equal treatment of all communities," council president Rateb Jneid added. Racial justice organisation Democracy in Colour said the swift establishment of resources, recommendations and government attention for combating anti-Semitism stood in stark contrast to responses to other forms of racism. The "selective urgency" exposed a "hierarchy of racism that continues to operate within our democratic institutions". "The government's response pattern reveals a concerning truth: some forms of racism receive red-carpet treatment while others are relegated to performative gestures and token appointments," director Noura Mansour said. About 50 diehard protesters gathered in central Sydney on Saturday afternoon in opposition to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and what they argue is Australia's wrongful participation in it. The mostly silent action, outside the offices of defence contractor BAE Systems, continued months of similar demonstrations which have been staged in capital cities at weekends. A larger protest has been scheduled for Sunday in the city's Hyde Park and another will go ahead in Melbourne. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Friday steps were already being taken to silence the behaviour Ms Segal had identified, pointing to a decision to block controversial US rapper Kanye West from entering the country after he released a song titled Heil Hitler. "We screen people ... when they apply for visas it's something that we make sure that we represent Australia's national interests," he told reporters. Ms Segal said criticisms of her findings misunderstood the Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti-Semitism. "(It) clearly says if Israel is criticised, that's absolutely fine - and indeed, so many Israelis are criticising the policies of their own government," she told ABC Radio. Several other Jewish groups called for her recommendations to be adopted in full. They include embedding Holocaust education into school curriculums and strengthening legislation against hateful conduct, in addition to terminating or withholding funds from universities, broadcasters and cultural institutions that fail to address anti-Semitism. Ms Segal's report found threats, vandalism and physical violence against Jewish Australians tripled between October 2023 and September 2024. Australia's government-appointed envoy to combat Islamophobia, Aftab Malik, says he will soon provide "comprehensive" recommendations to the prime minister.
