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Melbourne synagogue evacuated on Shabbat as tensions over Israel-Hamas war flare in Australia
(JTA) — A synagogue in the Australian city of Melbourne was evacuated on police order on Shabbat as pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrated nearby.
The Friday evening Shabbat services were halfway over at Central Shul in Caulfield, a heavily Jewish neighborhood, when the police and synagogue security team advised everyone to leave as a precaution, according to a letter from the synagogue’s president and rabbi on Sunday. About 150 people were present at the time, they said.
“A synagogue is a safe haven, a place of refuge, calm and peaceful, filled with prayer, song and inspiration. Shabbat, by its very definition is a day of rest, reflection and serenity,” they wrote.
“Sadly, this Friday night, for our community, that feeling of refuge, calm and serenity was shattered. The freedom to practice our religion without fear or intimidation was jeopardised.”
Hours later, violence erupted between pro-Palestinian protesters and a pro-Israel faction in adjacent Princes Park, where a previously scheduled rally had been relocated in part because of its proximity to a burger shop that had burned in a fire earlier that day. Local authorities said they had no evidence that the fire was spurred by racial animus, but the Palestinian-Australian shop owner said he thought his business had been targeted after he was filmed leading chants at a different pro-Palestinian demonstration.
About 400 people were involved, 200 on each side, according to local police, who used pepper spray to break up the fight. Police said one man was pepper-sprayed and removed from the area under breach-of-peace provisions and another man reported receiving minor injuries after being hit by a rock. They said they would review security camera footage to see whether any other criminal offenses had taken place.
Pro-Palestinian protesters rally outside the Sydney Opera House, Oct. 9, 2023. (Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)
The violence comes amid a spate of incidents related to the Israel-Hamas war in Australia. Immediately after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, participants in a pro-Palestinian rally in Sydney chanted “Gas the Jews”; the local government apologized. Last week, a Jewish man in Sydney said he had been hospitalized after being attacked when he removed a pro-Palestinian poster. And on Saturday, a woman was caught on tape yelling, “F— the Jews” after a pro-Palestinian rally in the Sydney suburb of Coogee.
On Sunday, separate rallies to free the 240 people Hamas is holding hostage and to call for a ceasefire drew thousands of people in Sydney.
Melbourne had been comparatively quieter until this week. Now, police say they plan to increase patrols in Caulfield, home to about 40% of the Jews who live in the city of 5 million.
James Paterson, a lawmaker from the center-right Liberal party, was among a number of local politicians to denounce the incident and the choice of location for Friday night’s demonstration.
“Of all the places in Melbourne to hold a pro-Palestinian rally, they chose Caulfield. In a park next to a synagogue. This is a calculated attempt to intimidate the Jewish community with predictable consequences,” he tweeted. “And on Shabbat. Victoria Police never should have allowed this protest to proceed and must use the full force of the law to crack down on those responsible for these violent scenes.”
Local Jewish leaders also expressed distress about the incident. “There is something very wrong in this city,” tweeted Dvir Abramovich, chair of the Anti-Defamation Commission. “Scenes I never imagined I’d see. Princess Park. Caulfield. Melbourne will never be the same.”
The synagogue president, Phil Goldman, and rabbi, Shmuel Karnowsky, said in their letter that they were proud of how quickly and without protest their
But, they wrote, “it left a terrible feeling in our hearts. To think that here in Melbourne, we might feel so threatened that we could not complete a Friday night Shule service, is unacceptable. There is understandably a huge sense of disappointment, frustration and anger. It cannot happen again.”
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The post Melbourne synagogue evacuated on Shabbat as tensions over Israel-Hamas war flare in Australia appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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Washington Warns UK, France Against Recognizing Palestinian Statehood
Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy leaves Downing Street, following the results of the election, in London, Britain, July 5, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Toby Melville
i24 News – The United States has warned the UK and France not to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state at a UN conference scheduled for June 17 in New York, the Middle East Eye reported Tuesday.
France and Saudi Arabia will co-host this conference on the two-state solution, with Paris reportedly preparing to unilaterally recognize Palestine. France is also pressuring London to follow this path, according to sources from the British Foreign Office.
French media reports indicate that French authorities believe they have the agreement of the British government. Meanwhile, Arab states are encouraging this move, measuring the success of the conference by the recognitions obtained.
This initiative deeply divides Western allies. If France and the UK were to carry out this recognition, they would become the first G7 nations to take this step, causing a “political earthquake” according to observers, given their historical ties with Israel. The Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer threatened last week to annex parts of the West Bank if this recognition took place, according to a report in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
In the United Kingdom, Foreign Secretary David Lammy publicly opposes unilateral recognition, stating that London would only recognize a Palestinian state when we know that it is going to happen and that it is in view.
However, pressure is mounting within the Labour Party. MP Uma Kumaran, member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said that the government was elected on a platform that promised to recognize Palestine as a step towards a just and lasting peace. Chris Doyle, director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding, believes that there is no legitimate reason for the United States to interfere in a sovereign decision of recognition, while highlighting the unpredictability of US President Donald Trump on this issue.
The post Washington Warns UK, France Against Recognizing Palestinian Statehood first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Police, Shin Bet Thwart Suspected Iranian Attempt Perpetrate Terror Attack
A small number of Jewish worshipers pray during the priestly blessing, a traditional prayer which usually attracts thousands of worshipers at the Western Wall on the holiday of Passover during 2020, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Jerusalem’s Old City, April 12, 2020. Photo: Reuters / Ronen Zvulun.
i24 News – The Shin Bet security agency and Israel Police thwarted another Iranian attempt to recruit Israelis, according to a statement on Tuesday, arresting a resident of East Jerusalem for allegedly carrying out missions for the Islamic Republic.
Iranian agents recruited the suspect, who in turn recruited members of his family. He is a resident of the Isawiya neighborhood in his 30s, and is accused of maintaining contact with a hostile foreign entity to harm the state by carrying out a terrorist attack against Jews.
The suspect had already begun perpetrating acts of sabotage and espionage, including collecting intelligence about areas in Jerusalem, including the Western Wall and Mahane Yehuda Market. He also hung signs, burned Israeli army uniforms, and more in exchange for payment totaling thousands of shekels.
He was also charged with planning a terror attack in central Israel, including setting fire to a forest, and was told to transfer weapons to terrorist elements in the West Bank.
The suspect’s sought the help of family members, including his mother. A search at his home revealed sums of cash, a spray can used in some of his activities, airsoft guns, suspected illegal drugs, and more.
His indictment is expected to be filed by the Jerusalem District Attorney’s Office.
The statement said that the case is yet another example of Iranian efforts to recruit Israelis. “We will continue to coordinate efforts to thwart terrorism and terrorist elements, including those operating outside Israel, while attempting to mobilize local elements in order to protect the citizens of the State of Israel,” the Shin Bet and Police said.
The post Police, Shin Bet Thwart Suspected Iranian Attempt Perpetrate Terror Attack first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Pro-Russian, Anti-Israeli Hackers Pose Biggest Cybercrime Threats in Germany
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt holds a chart showing the development of antisemitic crime, during a press conference on Figures for Politically Motivated Crime in the Country, in Berlin, Germany, May 20, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
Cybercrime in Germany rose to a record level last year, driven by hacker attacks from pro-Russian and anti-Israeli groups, the BKA Federal Crime Office reported on Tuesday as the government said it would boost countermeasures to combat it.
“Cybercrime is an increasing threat to our security,” said Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt. “It is getting more aggressive but our counter-strategies are also becoming more professional,” he said.
Some 131,391 cases of cybercrime took place in Germany last year and a further 201,877 cases were committed from abroad or an unknown location, a BKA report said.
The actors behind the hacker attacks on German targets were primarily either pro-Russian or anti-Israeli, said the BKA, adding targets were mostly public and federal institutions.
Ransomware, when criminals copy and encrypt data, is one of the main threats, said the BKA, with 950 companies and institutes reporting cases in 2024.
German digital association Bitkom said damage caused by cyberattacks here totaled 178.6 billion euros ($203.87 billion) last year, some 30.4 billion euros more than in the previous year.
Dobrindt said the government planned to extend the legal capabilities authorities could use to combat cybercrime and set higher security standards for companies.
The post Pro-Russian, Anti-Israeli Hackers Pose Biggest Cybercrime Threats in Germany first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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