Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Tuesday that his country will be appointing a special envoy to combat antisemitism, citing a rise in antisemitism since 7 October last year.

Lawyer Jillian Segal will be fulfilling the role and serve a three-year term in which she directly reports to Albanese and Andrew Giles, Australia’s Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs. Segal said on Tuesday that there was a 700 percent increase in reported antisemitic hate incidents after 7 October.

Albanese, who made the announcement at the Sydney Jewish Museum, added that a similar envoy will soon be appointed to combat Islamophobia and “promote social cohesion”.

The Jewish Council of Australia released a statement expressing concern over the appointment of Segal as antisemitism envoy, saying she has a track record of “lobbying for Israel, opposing voices that support Palestinian human rights, and painting all Jews as supportive of Israel’s actions”.

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