Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has linked the arson attack on a Melbourne synagogue to the Albanese government’s “extreme anti-Israeli position.”

He criticised the Labor government for supporting a UN resolution that calls for an end to Israel’s presence in occupied territories and for barring a former Israeli minister from entering Australia, labeling anti-Israel sentiment as antisemitism.

The burning of the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne is an abhorrent act of antisemitism. I expect the state authorities to use their full weight to prevent such antisemitic acts in the future.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to separate this reprehensible act from the extreme…

— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) December 6, 2024

Netanyahu described the burning of the Adass Israel synagogue as an abhorrent antisemitic act, urging the Victorian government and police to take stronger action against such incidents.

‘New low’

This statement highlights a new low in relations between the Albanese government and Israel, coinciding with increasing tensions between the Australian government and the Jewish community.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog contacted Prime Minister Albanese, mentioning a troubling rise in antisemitic attacks against Jewish communities globally since the October 7 terror attacks. Herzog emphasized the necessity for decisive action against antisemitism.

The Albanese government reversed Australia’s longstanding policy by supporting a UN resolution calling for Israel to relinquish its occupation, aligning with 156 other nations while opposing voices like Israel and the US.

The resolution faced criticism for failing to hold Palestinians accountable for ongoing violence against Israelis.

The Australian government’s recent shift signals a departure from its role as a robust supporter of Israel, influenced by pressure from Muslim and Green groups advocating for stronger backing of Palestine.

Arson detectives are investigating a fire at the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne, which authorities have labeled an antisemitic attack.

Witnesses reported seeing two masked individuals break windows and pour accelerants inside before igniting it around dawn.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the act, stating it was intended to maximize damage and create fear.

Congregants attending early prayers managed to escape as flames engulfed the building. Albanese emphasized that this violence at a place of worship is an outrage and threatens social cohesion.

The arson and explosives squad is reviewing security footage to identify the suspects, with Detective Inspector Chris Murray confirming the fire was deliberately lit and targeted.

Significant escalation

Prominent Jewish lawyer Jeremy Leibler stated that the incident reflects a significant escalation of hate against the Jewish community, which has been increasingly visible over the past year.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry president Daniel Aghion expressed sorrow for the Jewish community, linking the attack to the ongoing tensions stemming from recent events in Israel and Gaza.

Since the October 7 attacks in Israel, which resulted in significant casualties, the conflict has prompted pro-Palestinian protests in Australia and heightened local tensions.

Deputy opposition leader Sussan Ley called the situation concerning, expressing empathy for the Jewish community in light of the incident.

As businesses embrace cutting-edge tech, challenges like data sovereignty and AI are taking centre stage.

Over the past six months, the AI industry has seen significant advancements, with competing models such as Meta’s Luma and Google’s Gemini entering the market.

However, these developments come with a reality check. Building large language models (LLMs) requires substantial computing power and time, making immediate returns on investment unlikely.

One promising innovation is agentic AI, a step beyond generative AI, which enables proactive, automated solutions.

For instance, this technology could stabilise IT systems autonomously, diagnosing and resolving issues without human intervention.

Data sovereignty has also emerged as a key focus, with increasing emphasis on keeping data within national borders to comply with local laws. This has driven the adoption of sovereign clouds and private data centres, ensuring secure and localised data processing for AI development.

Deepak Ajmani, Vice President of ANZ & APAC Emerging Markets at Confluent, joins to discuss the evolving business landscape.