Now Is Not the Time to Criticize Netanyahu

There are moments in history when internal division does more damage than any external threat. Right now, as antisemitism in Australia continues to rise to unprecedented levels, one such moment is upon us. Yet instead of unity, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) issued two public letters—one to Prime Minister Netanyahu and the other to Prime Minister Albanese—criticizing both leaders for their exchange of words.

Let me clarify that the two letters do not comment on Netanyahu’s own letter of 17 August 2025 to the Australian Prime Minister, which was leaked to Sky News Australia and shown on the Sharri program aired on 20 August 2025.

Let me be clear from the outset: this is not about attacking the ECAJ, as they are an important communal body that has served Australian Jewry for decades. However, I wish that they had not made their letters public. By doing so, the ECAJ could be perceived as doing exactly what they accused both Prime Ministers of doing. Having said that, the letters were written and were made public, and so I feel the need to comment on their contents—and on this matter, my point of view is different. I also know that many others in our community feel the same.

Where the ECAJ saw Prime Minister Netanyahu’s comments as “clumsy” or “provocative,” I see something else entirely: a world leader willing to stand up publicly for Australian Jews at a time when our own government has failed us. In the wake of synagogue arsons in Melbourne, swastikas daubed on schools, Jewish students doxxed and harassed on campuses, and chants of “from the river to the sea” and “globalize the intifada” echoing on our streets, what we need most is not silence or cautious diplomacy. We need clarity, courage, and solidarity from leaders who will not look the other way.

That is precisely what Netanyahu has offered. When he called Prime Minister Albanese “a weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia’s Jews,” he did so in the context of Albanese’s failure to confront antisemitism here at home. And Netanyahu is right. Since October 7, antisemitism has spiraled in Australia. From universities where Jewish students have been harassed, to rallies where calls for Israel’s destruction go unchecked, to graffiti, vandalism, and abuse directed at ordinary Jews in the street—our government has stood by, weak and ineffective, while our safety and dignity have been eroded.

Netanyahu obviously decided that he could not stay silent any longer, especially after Albanese’s commitment to recognize a Palestinian State—cheered on by Hamas terrorists—and his suggestion that the so-called ‘March for Humanity’ on the Sydney Harbour Bridge was peaceful, when marchers in fact displayed antisemitic symbols and chanted words of hate and incitement to violence against Israel and Jews. Enough was enough. And hence why Netanyahu wrote his letter to the Australian Prime Minister.

The ECAJ’s letter to Netanyahu stated:

“Had we been consulted, we would have warned against such a clumsy intervention into Australia’s domestic politics. The charge of antisemitism … is a serious one and never to be made lightly. Doing so only invites skepticism and undermines the efforts we and the government have been making to combat this pernicious phenomenon.”

I respect that this reflects one viewpoint. But mine is different. To suggest that the Prime Minister of Israel ought to consult our local communal institutions before speaking about antisemitism in Australia strikes me as misplaced. Netanyahu does not need permission to speak out for Jews anywhere in the world. That is his role, his duty, and his right as Israel’s Prime Minister.

Equally, I struggle with the idea that his words “undermine efforts” to combat antisemitism. Efforts are one thing—but achievements are another. In practice, antisemitism is only getting worse. Jewish students are being spat on at universities. Families are afraid to send their children to school in kippot or Magen David necklaces. Protesters chant “from the river to the sea” every week without consequence. Synagogues in Melbourne were firebombed. If these are the results of all the “efforts,” then clearly more than quiet diplomacy is required. Netanyahu’s intervention does not undermine the fight against antisemitism—it shines a light on how far we still have to go.

What troubles me most is the effect this may have within our own community. The ECAJ’s decision to go public has opened a door that may be difficult to close. Instead of keeping disagreements behind closed doors, we now risk commentators “throwing their lot into the ring,” amplifying division within the Jewish community and giving our detractors fresh opportunities to exploit those divisions. At a time when Jewish Australians feel besieged from without, the last thing we need is fragmentation from within. Silence from the ECAJ in this instance would have been wiser.

This is why I believe Netanyahu’s bluntness is not “clumsy,” but clarifying. At a time when Australian Jews are feeling abandoned, his words remind us that the State of Israel sees us, stands with us, and will not stay silent.

And let me stress this: it is not about Israeli politics, nor about whether one does or doesn’t like Netanyahu. It is about principle. It is about recognizing when the Prime Minister of Israel, regardless of partisan views, speaks up for Jews abroad in the face of danger. That matters. It sends a message that we are not alone.

Yes, the letters may reflect one communal view—but they do not represent mine, nor the views of many who feel that the Albanese government has indeed been weak, and that Netanyahu’s intervention reflects solidarity, not division. This isn’t about politics—it’s about leadership when it is needed most.

Now is not the time to criticize Benjamin Netanyahu. Now is the time to support him. Because if we cannot stand together as Jews when an Israeli Prime Minister speaks up for us, we risk leaving ourselves more isolated than ever before.