Albanese PM rejects Netanyahu criticism

Australia's prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has rejected accusations from his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, that Australia's recognition of a Palestinian state earlier this year had contributed to Sunday's deadly antisemitic terrorist attack on Bondi beach in Sydney.

- Jason Burke

In an interview with national broadcasters, Albanese was asked if he accepted "any link between that recognition and the massacre in Bondi".

"No, I don't," Albanese said, adding: "Overwhelmingly, most of the world recognises a two-state solution as being the way forward."

Albanese did not directly respond to Netanyahu's accusation that he had "replaced weakness with weakness and appeasement with more appeasement' when fighting antisemitism.

"This is a moment of national unity where we need to come together ... We need to wrap our arms around members of the Jewish community, who are going through an extraordinarily difficult period ... My job is ... to make it clear that Australians overwhelmingly stand with the Jewish community at this difficult time," Albanese said