Israel Offers to Train Australian Police After Bondi Terror Attack

Israel is willing to train Australian police in countering terrorism and anti-Semitism while blasting the Albanese government over its lack of action on “radical Islam.”

In a letter to Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, the Israeli government said it stands “ready and willing to assist” following the terrorist attack on a Hanukkah event at Bondi Beach in which 15 people were killed and more than 40 others injured.

“We bring extensive experience in combating radical Islamic terrorism and anti-Semitism,” Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli wrote.

“Accordingly, we would welcome the opportunity to host and train senior Australian police officers and security personnel in Israel, sharing our expertise and best practices in countering terrorism and anti-Semitism.”

Chikli, who was in Bondi in the days after the attack, said there was “deep concern and an unequivocal demand for decisive and concrete action” among the Jewish community.

The senior cabinet minister rebuked the Albanese government over its failure to identify “radical Islam” as the “driving ideology” behind the Bondi attack.

“The fact that Prime Minister Albanese and Minister for Foreign Affairs (Penny) Wong have failed to clearly name the source of this violence— radical Islam—undermines the ability to confront it,” Chikli said.

“The first step in fighting terrorism and anti-Semitism is precise diagnosis—not merely focusing on the weapons used, but on the extremist ideology responsible for the violence.

“It is radical Islamist extremism that has attacked, and continues to threaten, the Jewish community and Australian society at large.”

In response, a spokesman for Burke said, “the government has taken action on hate speech, hate crimes, and hate symbols and is continuing to act through legislation announced in recent weeks.”

The prime minister has been repeatedly asked to call out radical Islam after it was revealed that the alleged father and son gunmen were inspired by the Islamic State.

“We know that ISIS is an ideology, a perversion of Islam, that essentially doesn’t agree with any recognition of nation states, seeks a caliphate,” he said last week.

The letter comes amid a chorus of business and religious leaders, as well as peak industry groups, calling for a federal royal commission into the attack.

Nine representatives of major employers, including the Business Council, Australian Banking Association, and Minerals Council said the inquiry would show Australia is serious about combating anti-Semitism.

“A federal royal commission can help us understand what happened, what needs to be done different and bring us together in the shared goal of preventing future tragedy,” the statement said.

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