Israeli Diaspora Minister: Australia Should Have Recognized Warning Signs Before Terror Attack

Australian Officials Ignored Warning Signs Before Deadly Bondi Beach Attack, Israeli Minister Says

Australian leadership failed to heed clear warning signs before the recent terror attack that killed 15 people during a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach, according to Israel’s Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, Amichai Chikli.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Chikli described Australia as a “hotbed” of antisemitism since the Hamas attacks on Israel in October 2023. He pointed to months of demonstrations where participants shouted antisemitic slogans and engaged in violence as creating the atmosphere that culminated in the deadly attack.

“The writing was on the wall,” Chikli said. “It was not a surprise. We knew that it was going to happen, this way or another, there was going [to] be violence.”

Among those killed in the attack were a 10-year-old girl and a Holocaust survivor. Dozens more were wounded in what Australian authorities have since confirmed was motivated by Islamic State ideology.

Chikli specifically cited an August protest on the Sydney Harbour Bridge where demonstrators waved flags supporting Hamas and ISIS while shouting slogans like “Globalize the intifada.” He criticized Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s characterization of such demonstrations as expressions of “unity” rather than recognizing them as dangerous incitement.

“I think that the leadership here failed to understand that words have meanings, and incitement is something which is very, very dangerous,” Chikli said. “And so there were zero actions from the government, zero condemnation.”

In response to the attack, Prime Minister Albanese has moved to tighten Australia’s already strict gun laws. “The government is prepared to take whatever action is necessary. Included in that is the need for tougher gun laws,” Albanese said Monday after meeting with his National Cabinet.

Chikli views this focus on gun control as an attempt to sidestep what he considers the real issue. “It’s inconvenient for this government, who was very supportive of these pro-Palestinian demonstrations, to say it loud and clear that we have a problem of jihadist violence of radical Islam,” he said.

While Albanese’s office directed Fox News Digital to a Wednesday news conference where the prime minister did address terrorism, Chikli remains critical of what he perceives as reluctance to directly confront radical Islamic extremism. In the referenced news conference, Albanese described the attackers as motivated by “the sort of ideology of the Islamic State” and called it “a perverse ideology, a terrorist ideology that does not respect human life.”

The communications manager for the Australia/Israel Jewish Affairs Council, Dionne Taylor, echoed Chikli’s concerns, telling Fox News Digital that Jewish community leaders had repeatedly warned government officials about the potential for violence.

“It started with hate speech,” Taylor said. “Then graffiti. Then public demonstrations. Then firebombing synagogues, preschools, people’s homes, people’s cars. And now murder.”

Taylor referenced formal submissions and a detailed report produced by Australia’s special envoy to combat antisemitism, which she claimed was acknowledged by the government but never implemented.

Chikli, who visited Australia following the attack and attended funerals for the victims, drew parallels between Australia’s leadership and the Biden administration, which he characterized as “progressive, woke, weak leadership” with “zero capability of addressing the threat of radical Islam.” He contrasted this approach with the Trump administration’s more direct pressure on American universities to address antisemitism.

The attack has intensified debate about how governments should respond to rising antisemitism and religious extremism. While Australian officials have condemned the violence, questions remain about whether earlier, more decisive action against hate speech and extremist demonstrations might have prevented the tragedy.

The Bondi Beach attack represents one of Australia’s deadliest acts of terrorism in recent years and has prompted soul-searching about the balance between free expression and public safety in a diverse, multicultural society.