Labor is ‘fanning the flames' on antisemitism amid Melbourne attacks
This comes amid fresh waves of antisemitic attacks raging through Melbourne over the weekend.
'After a shocking weekend of antisemitism in Melbourne, in a country where the PM says there is no place for antisemitism – gee, there sure is a lot of antisemitism,' Ms De Giorgio said.
'A Jewish synagogue was set on fire in Melbourne on Friday night, as 20 worshippers gathered inside for Shabbat.
'In a separate incident, masked protestors descended on an Israeli restaurant, throwing chairs and smashing a window while chanting 'death to the IDF'.
'For almost two years, Labor has been nowhere to be seen on antisemitism – and it's those empty words, which have helped fan the flames of the exact same antisemitism that the PM keeps talking about.'
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Leavitt announced on Monday that Witkoff will travel later this week to Doha, Qatar, for ceasefire and hostage talks. But a perennial sticking point is whether the ceasefire will end the war altogether. Hamas has said it is willing to free all the hostages in exchange for an end to the war and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Netanyahu says the war will end once Hamas surrenders, disarms and goes into exile — something it refuses to do. Demonstrators, including hostage family members, gathered outside the US Capitol before the leaders' meeting to press for the release of all remaining hostages in any agreement. "We cannot accept a deal for a partial release," said Ilan Dalal, father of Guy Gilboa-Dalal. "A partial deal would mean that some of the hostages will stay in the tunnels for more time and this would be a death sentence." Trump has made it clear that he wants to be known as a peacemaker. He has repeatedly trumpeted recent peace deals that his administration facilitated between India and Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, and Israel and Iran, and for years has made little secret of the fact that he covets a Nobel Peace Prize. He has been pressuring Israel and Hamas to wrap up their own conflict, which has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, ravaged Gaza, deepened Israel's international isolation and made any resolution to the broader conflict between Israel and the Palestinians more distant than ever. In the days before Netanyahu's visit, Trump seemed to downplay the chances for a breakthrough. Asked on Friday how confident he was that a ceasefire deal would come together, Trump told reporters: "I'm very optimistic — but you know, look, it changes from day to day". Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump might look to take a victory lap after their recent joint strikes on Iran but the Gaza war looms over their meeting. As they meet at the White House for the third time this year, the outwardly triumphant visit will be dogged by Israel's 21-month war against Hamas in Gaza and questions over how hard Trump will push for an end to the conflict. Trump has made clear that following last month's 12-day war between Israel and Iran, he would like to see the Gaza conflict end soon. The meeting between Trump and Netanyahu could give new urgency to a US ceasefire proposal being discussed by Israel and Hamas, but whether it leads to a deal that ends the war is unclear. "The utmost priority for the president right now in the Middle East is to end the war in Gaza and to return all of the hostages," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters hours before the two leaders meet for a private dinner. Before departing for Washington on Sunday, Netanyahu praised the cooperation with the US for bringing a "huge victory over our shared enemy." He struck a positive note on a ceasefire for Gaza, saying he was working "to achieve the deal under discussion, on the terms we agreed to". The prime minister was scheduled to hold separate meetings on Monday with special envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio before the dinner with Trump. Netanyahu is slated to meet Tuesday with Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson. "I think that the discussion with President Trump can certainly help advance that result, which all of us hope for," Netanyahu said. Israel and Hamas appear to be inching toward a new ceasefire agreement that would bring about a 60-day pause in the fighting, send aid flooding into Gaza and free at least some of the remaining 50 hostages held in the territory, 20 of whom are believed to be living. Leavitt announced on Monday that Witkoff will travel later this week to Doha, Qatar, for ceasefire and hostage talks. But a perennial sticking point is whether the ceasefire will end the war altogether. Hamas has said it is willing to free all the hostages in exchange for an end to the war and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Netanyahu says the war will end once Hamas surrenders, disarms and goes into exile — something it refuses to do. Demonstrators, including hostage family members, gathered outside the US Capitol before the leaders' meeting to press for the release of all remaining hostages in any agreement. "We cannot accept a deal for a partial release," said Ilan Dalal, father of Guy Gilboa-Dalal. "A partial deal would mean that some of the hostages will stay in the tunnels for more time and this would be a death sentence." Trump has made it clear that he wants to be known as a peacemaker. He has repeatedly trumpeted recent peace deals that his administration facilitated between India and Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, and Israel and Iran, and for years has made little secret of the fact that he covets a Nobel Peace Prize. He has been pressuring Israel and Hamas to wrap up their own conflict, which has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, ravaged Gaza, deepened Israel's international isolation and made any resolution to the broader conflict between Israel and the Palestinians more distant than ever. In the days before Netanyahu's visit, Trump seemed to downplay the chances for a breakthrough. Asked on Friday how confident he was that a ceasefire deal would come together, Trump told reporters: "I'm very optimistic — but you know, look, it changes from day to day".
