CNN
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Australian authorities said on Monday that last week’s arson attack on a synagogue in Melbourne was being investigated as a terrorist incident, after the government announced the creation of a new task force to combat anti-Semitism.
A fire broke out at the Adas Israel Synagogue in the south of the city, one of Australia’s most important centers of Judaism, early Friday, forcing worshipers to flee during overnight prayers.
Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said on Monday that the “horrific, callous and targeted” attack was “likely to have been a terrorist incident” and that Victoria Police, Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Australian Security It said it would be investigated by a joint counter-terrorism team, including the Intelligence Organization (ASIO).
Patton said police were searching for three suspects in connection with the incendiary bombings, but declined to elaborate on their identities or whether they were known to police.
Mr Patton said there was no evidence to suggest further attacks on other synagogues in Melbourne, adding that officers would continue to patrol areas with large Jewish populations.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Friday’s arson at a Melbourne synagogue was the third anti-Semitic attack in recent months.
The Australian Federal Police has set up a special unit called Operation Avarite to respond to attacks such as a fire at a Jewish pastor’s office in Melbourne and vandalism of a car in Sydney’s Jewish Quarter. was.
AFP chief Reece Kershaw said the military would play a greater role in cracking down on intimidation, violence and hatred against the Jewish community.
“Unfortunately, in Australia today, people of Jewish ethnicity and religion are targeted for their identity,” he said. “AFP will not tolerate crimes that undermine Australia’s security and our way of life.”
Over the weekend, the Albanon government pledged an additional A$32.5 million (about $21 million) to beef up security at synagogues, schools and other Jewish community facilities across the country.
Jewish communities across Australia have complained of a sharp increase in anti-Semitic attacks since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack and Israel’s subsequent war in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the Melbourne attack as an “abhorrent act of anti-Semitism” and linked the incendiary bombing to the Australian government’s support for a United Nations resolution calling on Israel to cease all hostilities in Gaza.
“Unfortunately, this reprehensible act reflects the Australian Labor Government’s extreme anti-Israel positions, including its scandalous decision to support a United Nations resolution calling on Israel to end its illegal presence in occupied Palestine. ‘It is impossible to separate ‘the territory from ‘as soon as possible,”’ a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said on Friday.
The statement also pointed to Australia’s decision to block former Israeli minister Ayelet Sheked from entering the country for a speaking tour. Australia’s Home Secretary said Mr Shaked was refused a visa due to concerns that his presence would undermine social cohesion.
Mr Albanese said on Monday that Australia had voted with 157 other countries, including most of its Five Eyes partners, and that Australia’s position on the conflict had not changed in the UN vote.
“Australia has long had a bipartisan position on a two-state solution for the Middle East, and that remains my government’s position,” he said.
