Leeser Says Government’s Israel Stance Helped Fuel Iran-Linked Attacks

The Coalition’s most senior Jewish MP, Julian Leeser, has accused the Albanese government of bearing some responsibility for recent Iran‑linked antisemitic attacks in Australia, arguing its criticism of Israel has “de‑legitimized Jewish people.”

Leeser, the shadow attorney‑general, said he stood by comments made after last year’s firebombing of Melbourne’s Adass Israel synagogue, in which he claimed there was a “direct line” between “the arsonist’s fuse” and the government’s United Nations voting record on the Gaza war.

His remarks came days after the federal government expelled Iran’s ambassador, Ahmad Sadeghi, following ASIO’s conclusion that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was behind at least two antisemitic attacks in Australia the synagogue firebombing and an arson attack on a Sydney restaurant and likely more. The government also announced plans to amend the criminal code to list the IRGC as a terrorist organization.

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley backed the government’s response to the ASIO findings but said the IRGC should have been listed earlier, a position the Coalition had advocated in opposition but never implemented while in power.

The issue has exposed sharp differences in tone within the Coalition. Ley and shadow home affairs spokesperson Andrew Hastie have adopted a more bipartisan approach, while foreign affairs spokesperson Michaelia Cash and Leeser have delivered stronger attacks. Leeser told Sydney radio station 2GB he was “incandescent with fury” that the government had not acted sooner to proscribe the IRGC.