¡¡¡¡CANBERRA, April 2 (Xinhuanet,by Xu Boyuan) -- Australians started dividing over the Middle East conflict.

¡¡¡¡In the past, the public opinion in the country had leaned on one side and supported Israel. As Israelis put higher pressure on the Palestinians and took Yasser Arafat as an in fact detainees, Australian's sentiment began to change.

¡¡¡¡Graffiti, including anti-Israeli sentiments and swastikas, werereportedly scrawled on synagogues in the states of New South Walesand Victoria over the weekend.

¡¡¡¡According to the Australian Associated Press, President of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, Jeremy Jones, Tuesday that this graffiti on the Sydney synagogue appeared to stem from anti-Israeli sentiments, which have erupted over the war between Israeland Palestine.

¡¡¡¡Ken Goudge, a retired teacher told Xinhua Monday that when Israelis killed Palestinians, the cowboy Bush did nothing.

¡¡¡¡On the newspapers, different voice appeared, though cautiously.The Age daily published Tuesday an article of an English journalist which said that turning Arafat into a martyr would onlypush extremists from both sides to the forefront of the conflict.

¡¡¡¡A number of Australian citizens took part in protests in the West Bank along with Palestinians and a woman was shot.

¡¡¡¡The woman said Tuesday she was holding her hands in the air when Israeli troops opened fire wounding her in the stomach duringa peaceful protest on the West Bank.

¡¡¡¡Prime Minister John Howard urged Australians not to become divided over the war and said it was important not to let the violence occurring in the Middle East carry into Australia.

¡¡¡¡"I do hope that although feelings will run high in Australia onboth sides of the debate, I do hope that people who feel very strongly about this issue remember that it's occurring in the Middle East," he told a Melbourne radio.

¡¡¡¡Howard described the pattern of suicide bombing as sickening and said he was distressed at the violence. Enditem

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