THE BRUTALITY OF THE OCTOBER 7 ATTACK AND THE BONDI MASSACRE - THE NEED FOR LEADERSHIP, MORAL STRENGTH AND COURAGE

Israel’s Nova Music Festival

Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas commander in chief ordered the violent attack at the Nova Music Festival in Israel on 7 October 2023. Images were to be released to trigger euphoria and frenzy. Hamas was urged to kill as many Jews as possible, to behead them and tear out their hearts and livers for Islam. The crimes were marked by extreme brutality and cruelty.  One might have assumed a wave of revulsion around the world. Instead, it was the Jews which were excoriated and the murderers turned into heroes. An application for a pro-Palestinian March was lodged in London on October 7, even as the massacres were ongoing, although it would be three weeks before the Israel Defence Force (IDF) went on the offensive against Hamas. There were chants and slogans supporting the eradication of Israel “From the river to the sea”.

Myths that the IDF committed genocide have been widely shown to be false, but have nevertheless fueled anti-Semitism across the globe - the worst the world has seen since Adolf Hitler. The eagerness of Hamas to use the Gazan population as human shields made the operation for the IDF extremely difficult. Nevertheless, to protect the civilians of Gaza, the local population was warned by the IDF to leave areas which were about to be bombarded. Few others have ever been warned in this way.[i]

Hamas diverted foreign aid, using it instead to build bomb shelters inside miles of tunnels. However, no Palestinian civilians were permitted to shelter in the tunnels. Instead, Hamas used them as human shields and when Israel sent text messages urging civilians to evacuate, Hamas loudspeakers warned them to remain while snipers murdered many who tried to move to safety.

There is only one nation on earth which is obliged to continually argue for its right to exist, even when the very survival of its people is threatened by genocidal enemies. Even as the corpses of young people mutilated and murdered at the Nova Music Festival were still being identified, students at Harvard and professors at Columbia, as well as demonstrators in New York, London, Sydney, and Toronto celebrated the Hamas killers.

According to Sam Harris, the jihadists were even worse than the Nazis but, he suggested that if the Palestinians were to lay down their arms, there would be peace and there could be a two state solution and a diverse, tolerant and prosperous society between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. However, if the Israelis did lay down their weapons, Hamas would aim to perpetrate a real genocide in Israel, a commitment which Hamas has confirmed on countless occasions.[ii]

 Josh Frydenberg has emerged as a leader of the Jewish community during its gravest crisis. As he has said, “The failure of leadership in Australia has been profound”. The question today is whether Frydenberg will have a second political life. He has not  yet decided. The two events which have redefined his life are the Hamas assault on Israel on October 7, 2023, with the massacre of 1,200 people and the taking of more than 250 hostages, and the Islamist terrorist attack at Bondi Beach on 14 December 2025 which saw 15 people murdered and many more injured.

Frydenberg described the failure of the Albanese government to confront anti-Semitism in politics, universities, the arts, culture and the wider community as a “Failure of character bordering on cowardice” by Albanese, his Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke and his Foreign Minister, Penny Wong.

Speaking at Bondi in December 2025, Frydenberg pointed out that people were allowed to parade in our streets with Hezbollah, Hamas and ISIS flags and signs saying, “Jews are Nazis” and “Zionists are terrorists”. Nothing was done. He confronted Albanese saying, “Prime Minister, you have failed us. Your government has failed us. If you don’t want to do the job, give it to somebody who will”. It was a crushing indictment of the Albanese government.[iii]

Frydenberg was only recently informed that he would not be called to testify  at the final hearing of the Royal Commission even though he had earlier submitted his submission to the Commission making it clear that he wished to be called. Prominent leaders have called on the Commission to reconsider its “deeply distressing, surprising and puzzling” decision to exclude Frydenberg. University of Western Sydney, Chancellor Jennifer Westacott remarked that the exclusion of Frydenberg was “Extraordinary and deeply distressing and a tremendous, missed opportunity”.

As Frydenberg  wrote, “The hatred we saw at the Opera House and at Bondi Beach is not isolated. It is now mainstream. If the royal commission fails  to make a real difference, our society will continue to fragment and our quality of life will continue to deteriorate”.

Legislation to Combat Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism

Legislation exists in Australia  to govern  Nazi symbols, slogans, and extremist conduct  through both Commonwealth law and State and Territory legislation. These laws criminalize the display of Nazi symbols or publicly engaging in conduct supporting Nazi ideology. Penalties increase significantly if the conduct occurs at or near Jewish places of worship, schools, or museums. As Sam Harris wrote, “Jihadist groups are worse than Nazis”. However, people have been allowed to parade in our streets with Hezbollah, Hamas and ISIS flags and signs saying, “Jews are Nazis”, “Zionists are terrorists”, but nothing had been done. Calls for violence have been met with inaction and indifference.

On 22 January 2026 new Federal laws were passed in response to the Bondi Beach massacre aiming to strengthen Commonwealth criminal offences regarding hatred and extremism. The laws introduced sweeping changes to Australia’s criminal sentencing and migration frameworks, permitting the government to ban prohibited hate groups. New offences were established to target preachers and leaders who advocate or threaten violence. The courts are now required to treat hate based on race, nationality, or ethnic origin as an aggravating factor when sentencing, giving rise to higher penalties. In addition, the Minister for Home Affairs received expanded powers to refuse or cancel visas based on hate motivated conduct, terrorist association or the spread of hate or extremism. Existing laws banning Nazi and terrorist symbols have also been strengthened.

However, despite these important changes to the law, there have been no significant criminal prosecutions or imprisonments under the new offences!

The Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)

On 4^th November, the AHRC informed a Parliamentary committee that deradicalisation efforts should not focus so much on beliefs and ideologies but instead, called upon MPs to focus on the online “manosphere” where anti-women and anti-LGBT prejudice was  radicalising young people. While the issues addressed by AHRC are important, it displays an utter failure by the AHRC to disregard and not even mention the submissions by both ASIO and the AFP which framed religious and ideological motivation as key factors, with ASIO’s specific focus on violent extremism. The Coalition rubbished the AHRC saying, “It was strange that religious and ideological convictions driving violent extremists should somehow be regarded as secondary considerations. In the wake of the Bondi massacre, Australia’s counter-terrorism policies should be clearly driven by security intelligence and evidence, rather than ideological sensitivities”.

As Janet Albrechtsen wrote, “The AHRC’s submission was profoundly flawed. It could not even admit that religious extremism was the biggest driving force of violent anti-Semitism”. The AHRC misrepresented what ASIO’s Mike Burgess had said, that “Hatred of Jews is one thing virtually all the violent extremist cohorts have in common – they hate all Jews”! She concluded that we need to face up to what Australia’s Special Envoy to Combat Anti-Semitism, Jillian Segal said, “Modern, progressive anti-Semitism is the most pervasive manifestation of anti-Semitism facing Australia today”. Albrechtsen described the AHRC’s submission as not “just derelict, but dangerous” and should not be taken seriously.[iv]

As Greg Sheridan wrote, Hamas has achieved many of its objectives, turning the world against Israel and making any thought of a two-state solution impossible. There are less than 16 million Jews in the entire world and they are the most persecuted and at-risk minority on the globe today. The great drivers of hostility to Jews are left-wing ideology and Arab and Islamic antisemitism. Most political leaders or too cautious to talk of Islamic antisemitism for fear they will upset Muslims. The failure to call this branch of antisemitism out is one of many moral failures by the Albanese government to confront antisemitism which has grown so powerful under Labor’s rule. As Sheridan wrote, “Antisemitism is the most shameful thing I’ve ever known about modern Australia”. There are 110,000 Australian Jews. Our treatment of this vulnerable minority is shameful and the Albanese government bears grave moral responsibility for its almost complete failure to provide leadership.[v]

AUDI ALTERAM PARTEM – HEAR THE OTHER SIDE

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[i] British historian, Andrew Roberts, Baron Roberts of Belgravia - 19 Sept 26

[ii] Sam Harris, American neuroscientist and philosopher -11 June 26

[iii] Paul Kelly, writing in The Australian – 10 Oct 26

[iv] Janet Albrechtsen, Another radical failure by the AHRC – 4 Nov 26

[v] Greg Sheridan, Antisemitism is a reminder of left’s distorted world view - 6 Oct 26