Islamist hatred strikes Jews again, forcing Australia to confront antisemitism while Israel’s warnings prove justified.
Australia will launch a full royal commission into the Bondi Beach terror massacre that killed 15 people, bowing to mounting national outrage and demands for accountability. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the inquiry Thursday, stressing social cohesion after the ISIS-inspired attack deliberately targeted Jews celebrating Hanukkah.
On December 14, Sajid Akram and his son Naveed Akram carried out a premeditated assault near Bondi Beach, murdering Jewish civilians in what authorities confirmed was an Islamist terrorist operation. Sajid Akram was shot dead by police at the scene, while Naveed Akram—an Australian-born citizen—now faces terrorism charges and 15 counts of murder.
The royal commission, Australia’s highest investigative mechanism, will examine intelligence failures, radicalisation pathways, and the unchecked spread of antisemitism nationwide. The inquiry will be led by Virginia Bell, a respected former High Court justice.
Security agencies are under intense scrutiny after it emerged that Naveed Akram had been flagged by intelligence services as early as 2019, only to later disappear from monitoring systems. A previously scheduled review of security failures will now be absorbed into the commission’s broader mandate.
The massacre did not occur in isolation. Australia has witnessed a disturbing surge of antisemitic attacks, including firebombings, synagogue vandalism, and open calls for violence against Jews—mirroring patterns long exposed in Europe and the Middle East. Critics argue that political hesitation and moral equivocation toward Islamist extremism enabled this climate to grow.
Supporters of Israel note that the tragedy reinforces Israel’s long-standing warnings: antisemitism and jihadist ideology do not stop at borders, and appeasement only emboldens extremists. Real unity, they argue, begins with confronting hatred—not excusing it.
