Bondi attack: Why terrorism needs to be confronted

The attack in Bondi wasa well-planned operation in contrast to the ‘lone wolf’ nature that usually characterizes ISIS-inspired terror attacks

- MAJ GEN JAGATBIR SINGH, VSM (RETD

On 14 December two gunmen opened fire, killing 15 people (including children and a rabbi) and injuring twenty-two people at Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach.

‘The terror attack has been described as religiously motivated hatred against Jews amid rising global antisemitism linked to the ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza took place during a public Hanukkah celebration, the festival of light, celebrated with the lighting of candles. The terrorists wanted to extinguish the light.

Australia’s Bondi shooting came amid a tide of rising antisemitism globally. Bondi was confronting, brutal and deeply unsettling. It shattered the ordinary rhythms of a place that Australians associate with life, leisure and community. There has been an exponential increase in harassment and intimidation against Jewish communities since the deadly 07 October 2023 attacks and the Israel-Hamas conflict. Israel's actions over the past two years, have caused disproportionate and unacceptable suffering to civilians in Gaza while actions such as settlement-building have fuelled hopelessness among Palestinians. As a fallout, law enforcement assessments have counted almost 50 major incidents against Jewish targets worldwide since,

There have been multiple warnings that without a more robust response, smaller incidents would lead to major violence. The Bondi attack is precisely what was feared would happen. Racism and antisemitism, have not receded and remain problems. Antisemitism has plagued Jews for centuries, which peaked in the Nazi Holocaust and was also visible during the Mumbai terror attack in 2008 has now once gain reared its head.

THE ATTACK