Australia: Melbourne synagogue Adass Israel in Ripponlea torched in early morning firebombing

Everyone is issuing the usual condemnations of this attack, as if there were some doubt as to which side of this issue they would favor. No one, of course, is taking any responsibility for the false claims of genocide and the overheated rhetoric against Israel that led to this happening in the first place.

“As it happened: Melbourne synagogue Adass Israel in Ripponlea torched in early morning firebombing; prime minister, leaders condemn attack,” by Elissa Goldstein, and Hanna Mills Turbet, The Age, December 6, 2024:

…Special envoy for social cohesion Peter Khalil said he joined the prime minister in unequivocally condemning the attack.

“Attacks based on a person’s ethnicity or faith, or on our many places of worship, are utterly unacceptable, and they are an attack on all of us,” said the federal Labor MP for the seat of Wills, which included suburbs in Melbourne’s inner-north.

“Places of worship like synagogues are places of peace, faith, learning and community. All of us must continually call out any hatred and violence every time they occur….

Khalil’s office in Melbourne’s north was vandalised with red paint and a Hamas-linked inverted red triangle in October, a few months after vandals targeted the office of Jewish federal MP Josh Burns, whose seat of Macnamara includes the suburb of Ripponlea, where the Adass synagogue is located….

The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC) described the firebombing as “a violation of the peace and security that every faith community deserves”.

President Rateb Jneid said the AFIC strongly condemned the attack and called upon the community to respect all religious groups and sanctuaries.

“We are deeply disturbed by the violent attack on the Melbourne synagogue. There is absolutely no justification for such acts of aggression against any community, regardless of the circumstances,” Jneid said.

“Such acts of hatred and violence must be met with a swift and firm response from law enforcement. We urge the authorities to thoroughly investigate this matter and ensure that those responsible are held accountable.”…

The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network has condemned the firebombing.

“Attacks on religious institutions have no place in our community,” the group said in an Instagram post on Friday afternoon.

“Racist attacks rooted in antisemitism, Islamophobia or anti-Palestinian racism must be opposed and condemned in equal measure.

“Our thoughts are with the Jewish community and all those impacted by these acts.”

Meanwhile, Free Palestine Coalition Naarm – a separate, smaller group – also denounced the attacks.

“Solidarity with Jews in Naarm/Melbourne against the antisemitic firebombing of the Adass Israel synagogue,” the group wrote on Instagram.

“We stand together with Jewish communities in the fight against the local and international forces of racism and fascism.”…

Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, has sought to turn down the temperature on the domestic debate on antisemitism, arguing the Albanese government should not be held responsible for attacks on Jews in Australia.

A statement from the office of the Israeli prime minister overnight said Australia’s increasingly anti-Israel diplomatic positions would “invite more terrorism and more antisemitic riots at campuses and city centres, including in Australia”.

But Maimon on Friday played down the statement, noting it was drafted by the PM’s office and not attributed to Benjamin Netanyahu himself.

When asked about the relevance of the distinction, Maimon said he “didn’t want to get into it”.

The Coalition and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton have regularly accused Labor of turning a blind eye to rising rates of antisemitism and attacks on Jewish sites since the events of October 7, 2023.

Maimon rejected the notion that the Australian government should be directly blamed.

“Well, I don’t hold … the Albanese government as responsible for the rise [in antisemitism],” he said.

“But I do urge the Albanese government to take all necessary actions and steps in order to uproot this ugly phenomenon and to make sure the Jewish people, whether they live in Canberra or in Melbourne and Sydney or elsewhere, will feel safe and secure.”