Mourners cover their faces during a moment of prayer at a tribute to those killed in the shooting attack at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, on Monday. Photograph: Matthew Abbott/The New York TimesSunday’s massacre of at least 15 people at a Jewish event on Sydney’s Bondi Beach shocked Australia, a country Jews have long regarded as welcoming and safe. Sunday’s candle lighting on Bondi Beach was one of the first such Hannukah events this year, as the sun set hours earlier than most of the rest of the world. The exchange highlights the fact that Netanyahu will use the Bondi Beach massacre to reinforce his narrative that connects support for Palestinian statehood and opposition to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza with anti-Semitism and attacks on Jews around the world. The Bondi Beach massacre will make both Jews and Muslims feel less safe at a moment when the peace process in Gaza remains fragile and uncertain.

Source: The Irish Times December 16, 2025 16:00 UTC