Israeli foreign minister urges Jews abroad to move to Israel after Sydney attack

JERUSALEM: Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar on Sunday (Dec 21) called on Jews living in Western countries to move to Israel, citing what he described as a sharp rise in antisemitism, a week after a deadly attack at a Jewish event in Sydney. Speaking at a public candle-lighting ceremony marking the final day of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah, Saar said Jews had the right to live safely everywhere but warned that history showed such security could not be taken for granted. Israeli leaders have repeatedly warned of a surge in antisemitism in Western countries since the outbreak of the Gaza war, triggered by Hamas’s Oct 7, 2023 attack on Israel.