Australian rabbis write to Anthony Albanese to establish federal Royal Commission into Bondi terror attack

Australian rabbis have urged Anthony Albanese to establish a national probe into the Bondi massacre, saying the Jewish community feels Labor’s response has been “insufficient”. In a letter dated December 25 and first published by the Australian, the Rabbinical Association of Australasia said a federal royal commission was needed to comprehensively examine the rise of anti-Semitism in the country. “anti-Semitism today does not recognise state borders. It spreads like a cancer through national and global networks — online platforms, funding streams, radical Islamist and other extremist ideologies, and radicalisation pathways — many of which fall substantially within Commonwealth responsibility,” the statement read. The Prime Minister has continued to resist calls for a federal probe into the incident, despite two Labor MPs, the Coalition and peak Jewish groups calling for one after two alleged ISIS-inspired gunmen opened fire on a Chanukah celebration on December 14. Instead, Mr Albanese has called for a review into federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies – led by former intelligence chief Dennis Richardson – to examine whether they have adequate powers, structures, processes and sharing arrangements to “keep Australia safe”. It comes as NSW conducts a state royal commission into the attack, which the federal government will actively contribute to, senior Labor MPs have confirmed. However, the letter claimed the departmental probe would not go far enough to prosecute what led to the Bondi tragedy. “We acknowledge the Government’s announcement of internal reviews and departmental processes. These may have value,” the statement read. “However, from the perspective of our communities, they do not provide the independence, transparency, or public confidence that this moment requires. “A Federal Royal Commission offers a process that is independent, transparent, and capable of confronting difficult truths authoritatively. “Trust has been badly shaken. Restoring it requires openness. “This call is not an endorsement of any political party or political agenda. It is a moral and ethical imperative.” The group attributed the rise in anti-Semitism to pro-Palestinian demonstrations, describing them as “hate-fuelled”. “Over the past two years, and with devastating clarity in recent weeks, we have witnessed a profound and dangerous escalation of antisemitism masquerading as anti-Zionism in Australia,” the statement read. It claimed marches “particularly at iconic landmarks” had core objectives to push for the elimination of Israel and incite violence against Jews, through slogans like “from the river to the sea (Palestine will be free)” and “globalise the intifada”. “These marches and demonstrations have been permitted to proceed largely unhindered, while Jews have been directed by police to stay away ‘for your own protection’,” the statement read. It called for the banning of “such marches and demonstrations” and the criminalisation of the two chants, as well as “death to the (Israeli Defence Force)”. “The massacre at Bondi Beach did not emerge in a vacuum. It was the most tragic and violent manifestation of a climate in which visceral hatred towards Jews — such as that described above — has been allowed to grow louder, more normalised, and more tolerated,” the statement read. Many of these demonstrations, including the March for Humanity on the Harbour Bridge, have occurred in protest of the Israeli campaign in Gaza, which has been labelled a genocide by human rights organisations based in Israel and abroad, the International Association of Genocide Scholars and an independent UN inquiry.