Police and security patrols have been stepped up at Jewish sites across New South Wales and Victoria after the firebombing of a Melbourne synagogue, which Benjamin Netanyahu has linked to Australia’s stance on the Israel-Gaza war.
Victoria Police confirmed it would conduct additional patrols around Adass Israel synagogue and surrounding areas in Ripponlea after the building was set alight in the early hours of Friday morning.
Guardian Australia understands that security measures have been strengthened at Jewish sites across Victoria, while NSW Police confirmed it was working with the Jewish community and had “committed to” increase patrols of significant sites around Sydney and the state.
“As a consequence, members of the public can expect to see a greater police presence in and around significant sites,” the police said in a statement on Saturday.
“NSW Police will not tolerate any behaviour that incites, or advocates violence or hatred based on race and religion … any form of hate crime against any person or group is completely unacceptable”.
On Saturday, the Israeli prime minister described the Labor government’s stance as “scandalous”, linking the antisemitic attack with Australia’s vote on a UN resolution calling for an end to Israel’s unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Asked by the Guardian about Netanyahu’s comments, Anthony Albanese said only that 157 countries had voted for that resolution, “including four of the five eyes partners Australia, the UK, Canada, and New Zealand as well as Japan and other regional partners”.
Regarding what he described as an outrageous attack on the Melbourne synagogue, Albanese said he had spoken again to the AFP Commissioner, on Saturday morning.
“Our authorities continue to work hard on this and I have made clear we offer full support to Victoria Police,” he said.
The home affairs minister, Tony Burke, said federal counter-terrorism officials were involved in the Ripponlea investigation.
“As I said yesterday, I condemn this disgusting attack in the strongest possible terms. Antisemitism has no place in Australia. I hope the police quickly find whoever is responsible and throw the book at them,” he said on Saturday.
“Yesterday’s attack against the Adass Israel synagogue was horrific and evil. People have a right to feel safe in Australia.
“I have been briefed by security agencies and they are going through the detailed work we would expect. My counter-terrorism officials are engaged on the issue.”
The shadow home affairs minister, James Paterson, said heightened police security across synagogues was vital.
“It’s absolutely essential, particularly in the immediate aftermath of this incident, while the alleged arsonists are still at large, and while others may be contemplating copycat attacks, that police provide security and assistance to synagogues and other places of worship that could be targeted,” he told reporters on Saturday.
Paterson said the prime minister had questions to answer about what he called an “antisemitism crisis” and a “full-blown extremism crisis” in Australia, adding that the government had “caved in to the demands of extremists”.
“I think Australia’s abandonment of Israel … is a disgrace, and it has harmed our national security, and it is not in our national interests.”
He claimed that the leader of the opposition had not been provided a security briefing after the arson attack and said that relations between Australia and Israel had “never been at a lower ebb than they are today” and had been “absolutely trashed” by the Albanese government.
On Friday, Albanese condemned the arson attack, saying “this violence and intimidation and destruction at a place of worship is an outrage”.
Australia’s Jewish and Palestinian communities have responded to the attack and Netanyahu’s comments.
Sarah Schwartz, an executive officer of the Jewish Council of Australia, said the arson attack was “a hateful and violent act, which is despicable. It shows that we need to really work on anti-racism in this country”.
She added that it was “despicable that Netanyahu has used this moment to continue to spread hate.”
She said it was the Israeli government that was “making Jewish people extremely unsafe in this moment”.
The president of the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network, Nasser Mashni, said Netanyahu’s comments were “a shameless distraction from his government’s crimes against humanity in Palestine”.
“A war criminal under investigation for genocide has no standing to lecture Australia on morality or justice.”
The international criminal court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for the Israeli prime minister, the country’s former defence minister Yoav Gallant and the Hamas military leader Mohammed Deif for alleged war crimes relating to the Gaza war.
Speaking on Friday, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive, Peter Wertheim, said Australia was “so much more than the government of the day”.
“The people of Australia … should always be regarded as a key ally by Israel even when the government lets us down.”
Also speaking on Friday, David Ossip, president of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, said antisemitism had “festered” on the Albanese government’s watch.
