Bondi horror – a digest
JVL introduction
We have already put on record our revulsion at the killing of 16 Jews celebrating the festival of Hannukah on Bondi Beach in Australia. Now we must wrestle with the responses to this outrage.
We have to reckon with cynical, divisive and dangerous commentaries from those like Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis or Dave Rich of the Community Security Trust, purporting to be motivated by concern for Jewish safety while showing utter contempt for the safety of Palestinians under the heel of Israeli state repression. Equally disturbing is the flood of anti-Jewish rhetoric on social media, casting doubt on the truth of the reports from Bondi, some going so far as to justify the killings because of the branch of Judaism to which some of the victims adhered.
We offer below a compilation of excerpts from some of the more reasoned commentary we have seen, with links to the articles and statements in full.
NWI
1. The Jewish Socialists’ Group is “appalled by the immediate use of the tragedy by politicians, the media and some religious leaders to incite hatred by conflating these murderers with people who are steadfastly campaigning for peace and justice, and against occupation and apartheid. We also condemn as antisemitic, the instant assertion by conspiracy theorists who claim to support the Palestinians that this was a a “false flag” operation.”
2. Palestinian writer Rima Najjar provides a nuanced reading of what she calls “narrative laundering”. “In the Bondi Beach attack, a verifiable antisemitic atrocity was swiftly woven into familiar geopolitical scripts… In this context, deceit is not incidental. It is structural. Hasbara front-loads moral claims, assigns blame early, and renders later corrections irrelevant. Western reporting has been conditioned to accept Israeli statements as authoritative and Palestinian accounts as suspect. Narrative discipline replaces verification, and meaning solidifies before the truth can surface.”
3. Jonathan Cook unpicks Benjamin Netanyahu’s charge that Australia’s support for Palestinian statehood was responsible for Jewish deaths. Cook writes: “Netanyahu’s grotesque logic – that abiding by international law in regards to Palestine leads to violence against Jews – makes sense only because for years, western leaders have conspired in a narrative that openly conflates criticism of Israel with hatred of Jews.”
4. Martin Shaw, in a piece titled Woolly Thinking and Bad Faith, examines the pro-Israeli claim that anti-genocide protests “have created the climate, by ‘demonising Israel’, in which terrorists develop their attacks. Yet Palestinian protests are so little reported in the mainstream media, except when pro-Israelis call for them to be banned, that it seems unlikely that they are a major influence. It is much more likely that, despite the media bias which minimises Israeli crimes, there has been so much coverage of them that this cuts through to potential terrorists – as it has done to the general public, large sections of which now recognize that Israel has committed genocide.”
5. Antony Loewenstein, who was celebrating Hannukah in Australia with family when the shootings occurred, told Democracy Now, “the idea that the Israeli government, a government that has overseen a genocide and mass slaughter for over two years in Gaza, is the moral arbiter of anything is farcical.” He said: “nothing justifies antisemitic attacks or violence — but the idea somehow that a Jewish state, created under the guise of protecting Jews, actually now creates massive danger for Jews around the world is, to me, undeniable.” Lowenstein speaks interestingly about the significance in Australian society of a Muslim man of Syrian origin, Ahmed al Ahmed, risking his life wrestling the weapon out of the hands of one of the gunmen: “This incredible gentleman who basically fought against this horrific terrorist, it really is inspiring and, I think, shows the world that any community is made up of a diversity, and that includes Muslims, Jews, atheists, whoever it may be.”
Firstly, it was a tragedy which must be condemned. However, as the excerpts from above point out, the media reverted to its usual narrative, demonising Muslims, blaming pro-Palestinian Jews and non Jews for the killings, without fact or confirmation. One thing which was interesting was Netanyahu on Israeli Chanel 14 TV, praising “the brave Jew” who saved those on the beach from further killings [?!]. This was just after the event and before the facts of the man who wrestled with the killer, whom we now know was a Muslim man, who had been shot twice, but helped save potentially many more lives by risking his own.
Unfortunately the usual anti-Muslim tropes and narrative, demonising, dehumanising and marginalising all those who are critical of Israeli oppression and killing in Palestine, appeared in every Western “Mainstream” pro-Israeli mouthpiece. Predictably, “Western” politicians, like Starmer, have trotted out their typical support for Israel, whilst ignoring the killing and displacement in on occupied Palestine.
I’ve been busy posting comments on the Times of Israel online. Some of the reader’s posts beggar belief, not least those belittling the heroism of Ahmed al-Ahmed. I have hot them down in flames. One such ‘commentator’ challenged whether was a Muslim, asserting that there were reliable sources to the effect that he is a Marionite Chrisian. One visit to Google exploded that misinformation: MAGA, and the loony Loomer, is at the bottom of it. So I’ve posted that on the TOI platform. Netanyahu waded in not only to excoriate Albanese for recognising Palestine, but also to claim that Ahmed represented ‘the pinnacle of JEWISH heroism’!!!. I shot that down too. This episode has led to all manner of weirdos venting their spleen online. There WERE 3 Jewish heroes, all unarmed all shot dead attacking the 2 shooters. A fair question posed by several TOI people was ‘where was the police protection for such a large gathering of Jews in one location?’ No answer to that, yet. And where were the Jewish security guards? Why was the bridge used by the shooters not manned by police officers in advance of the arrival of the Jewish crowd?
‘He really is a superhero’
https://www.timesofisrael.com/a-genuine-hero-unarmed-muslim-bystander
wallis315
12 minutes ago
Lubaba Alhmidi AlKahil, the media director for the Australians for Syria Association, visited Ahmed on Monday afternoon to deliver a tray of food and a bouquet of flowers. She said he had undergone successful surgery and was recovering, but was still in pain.
“What he did, he really is a superhero,” she said. AlKahil hadn’t met Ahmed prior to the tragedy but said the community was “very proud” of him.
“You might not believe it, but while we were watching the news, a lot of us had the feeling that he looks Syrian, he looks really Syrian,” she said. “Then we found, he is Syrian.”
She said Ahmed came from a “lovely family” that was surrounding him with care and prayers.
“This is not strange for a Syrian individual, the community is lovely, supportive, with strong bonds. We’ve refused injustice and persecution [in Syria] and it’s not strange that one of us had the feeling: ‘No, I will not watch, I will die to help.’”
For AlKahil, the profound tragedy also brought a sense of fear.
“As Muslims, every time there’s an attack we say to ourselves, oh no, people will say it’s Muslims that are bad,” she said. “We are scared to leave our houses if we’ll be accused.
“But our religion is a religion of peace and we are very peaceful people. This proves that.” (my italics)
antisemitism/Islamophobia kulu wahid
First of all may myself and my family offer our Condolences to the Families of all those who were Killed on Bondi Beach. May they all Rest in Peace in the arms of the Lord
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And also offer are thoughts and Prayers to all those who were injured and their Families and hope they all make a Full Recovery..
Everyone should be able to attend and enjoy any event they wish to, without evil People trying to kill them.
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What was so surprising about the attack, Was the quickness in which, Both the Israeli PM and the USA President came out. And strait away informing everyone That it was an antisemitic attack on the Jewish People attending a religious event.
However they both had to correct themselves not long afterwards. When they said at the time that A Brave Jewish man saved the lives of many Jewish and others by disarming the Gunman..
They both had to correct this later When it was revealed that the Brave Man they were referring to was an Australian Muslim man .
Bit it should not have made any difference what Nationality or Religion that man or any other mam was.
What he done helped to save the lives of many people on that day.
Nationality or Religion should not have come into it at that time. Because no one knew at that time what Nationality the Gunmen were and what were their motives for the attack,
And both the Police and Australian PM had requested that people don’t jump to conclusions until they complete their enquiries from witnesses.
Antisemitism and any Form of Racism should be Condemned every were, As there is no place for it in any society.
All people should be able to worship or pray to whoever they wish to,
Monday’s BBC2 ‘Tonight’ programme had Jonathan Freedland to comment on the Sydney massacre. At least he was careful to make a distinction between the gunmen, possibly part of an US cell, and ordinary Muslims, pointing out that Ahmed al Ahmed was a Muslim.
But he went on to argue that slogans like ‘Globalise the Intifada’ led to a normalising of antisemitism, asking rhetorcally “What else can this slogan mean?” The answer is simple. The slogan means solidarity with those resisting Israel’s occupation of their land. Like any mass resistance the intifada takes many forms, some non-violent, some violent – though less violent than that used by the Israeli state. In this clash our feelings of solidarity are with the oppressed.
Freedland then suggests that criticism should not be of Israel as such but of the Netanyahu government. As if the main opposition to the government was calling for an end to the settlement policy and the recognition that the West Bank and Gaza are in their entirety Palestinian.
I could go on…
One redeeming note and a partial antidote to the above: the BBC’s Today (Radio 4) programme had a piece on settler violence in the Occupied West Bank which was accurate and moving.
Thankyou again for the balanced intelligent commentary. As we know, the Zionist machine/propaganda seeks to create mistrust, hatred and division through the familiar ‘smoke screen’ of religion and supposed ‘historic hatred’. This is exactly how they have gained and maintain power.
Whoever was behind that tragic attack, I’m glad that it was a ‘Muslim’ that stepped in to stop the loss of precious life. As well as helping to mitigate the familiar onslaught of further Islamic hatred and cruel unjustified retribution it highlighted our natural ‘human instinct’ and shared humanity, which urges us to jump in and protect fellow unarmed and vulnerable beings.
That is my religion. The rest is an accident of birth. And is irrelevant.
Who was ultimately responsible for the Bondi Beach shootings? That question seems to be at the heart of so much of this debate because of the speed with which the shootings have become politicised. So is it the right question? Maybe. Clearly these shootings didn’t happen for no reason, and ultimately there must be a sensible and effective strategy to ensure as far as it is possible to ensure that such an event does not occur again. But first, can we take a breath? People died horribly while celebrating a religious festival just as they had every right to do. It was a Jewish festival; but should we feel worse about that than if it was a Muslim or a Hindu or Sikh festival? The first lesson should be that we share our humanity with the victims of this tragedy, and their faith, their particular politics, should neither influence the degree of compassion we have for them, nor be wilfully used as a device to confirm our own assumptions. Can we all give ourselves some time to grieve first?
One’s head reels at the variety of responses to this tragedy, both accurate and inaccurate. Here is one response which caught my eye.
https://www.councilestatemedia.uk/p/here-is-everything-the-media-is-not
There was also a lone voice in the immediate aftermath from an Australian Green placing the blame for the rise in antisemitism at the door of Israel’s genocide.
AS usual the Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis was quick with his comment on the tragedy in Bondi beach, but has never said a word about the genocide perpetrated in gaza by the Israelis. He acts like an Israeli Government spokesman, not sombody concerned with the spiritual life of people.
yes Frankel is not Israeli he is south African / English . He is a zionist who is not interested in humanity. It is time to stop the utter hypocrisy of using the horror of what happened at Bondi as a excuse to weaponise the rightful protests re Israel Gov genocide in Gaza