The Reality behind Islamic Terrorism at Bondi Beach, 14 Dec. 2025

• I am of German descent, born in 1947. I grew up exposed to anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial (it never was six million, at most two or three million), which contributed to me leaving Germany in my early twenties for the Netherlands and Denmark, before emigrating to Australia.

The handwringing after the horror of the Bondi Beach terror attack is marred by a myopic view as to what motivated the attackers. It is suggested curbing hatred against Judaism in the community would safeguard us from like attacks.

While it obviously is important to examine and counter-act domestic anti-Semitism, using it as the underpinning for Bondi Beach is misguided; a Royal Commission would not help with getting to the bottom of the Islamic terrorism issue.

Since the attackers brought an IS flag, it is clear Bondi Beach was a case of Islamic State inspired terrorism; it likely was not a result of local anti-Semitism (though the influence of local hate-preachers must be taken into account). IS terrorists’ inspiration is the grievance Islamists harbor due to the struggle against Western/Jewish exploitation of Muslim lands and peoples, namely in Palestine/Israel. 

Fundamentalist Islamists – spurred on by religious indoctrination, that promises them paradise if they get killed as martyrs in the fight to spread Islam – become nihilistic terrorists; ostensibly fighting with the goal of getting their independent state of Palestine established (if not an Islamic caliphate).

With trying to understand the background of Bondi Beach and indeed any Islamic terror attack, it is important to consider the history of the creation of Israel in Palestine, where Israel is fighting for its survival … as is Palestine.

Truly, the attack at Bondi Beach did not happen in a vacuum.

Palestinians were promised their state concurrently with Israel. The United Nations General Assembly decided in 1947 – resolution 181 (II) – to partition Palestine into two states, Arab and Jewish.

Arabs rejected that outcome.

The resultant 1948/49 Arab-Israel war (begun by Arabs) was Israel’s ‘Independence War’. They conquered territory and consolidated the state of Israel. Over 700,000 Palestinians fled or were expelled. 

Israel claims legitimacy – strongly supported by the USA and European countries – for their state on account of the UN resolution; not withstanding the fact that there were many more UN resolutions declaring their occupation of lands gained in war as illegal … all of which Israel ignores.

Since the 1967 Six-Day War, the UN Security Council – with resolution 242 – had affirmed the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war or force on eight occasions; they also re-affirmed the rights of the Palestinian people to national independence and sovereignty.

It would be ignorant to consider this stance – supporting Palestine’s right of existence – as anti-semitic. That support is grounded in not only international law, but also an acceptance of Palestinians’ moral right to their homeland (google: “Gareth Evans: the case for recognising Palestine”); all the while not denying Israel the same.

Desperate, Hamas and Hezbollah fight Israel, whose occupation resulted in three generations of Palestinians living in refugee camps. In turn, Jews are faced with fundamentalist, militant Islamists, who will not retreat from their declared aim to destroy them, with hard-line Hamas radicals demanding ‘From The River To The Sea’.

Israelis counter with their own fundamentalism, where religious Zionism – denoting the land of Palestine as God-given to Jews – accounts for the illegal Settlements in the West Bank … political Zionism – acknowledging Israel’s right to exist and defend itself – is staunchly supported throughout the West.

The moderate Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) of the West Bank has accepted a two-state solution since the 1982 Arab Summit. In 2017 Hamas announced their revised charter, which accepts a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders. 

In the fight against terrorism, Albanese’s recognition of Palestine was a move in the right direction. The creation of a Palestinian state will be an important step to giving moderate Muslims the upper hand in our Islamic communities, and thus diminish the influence of Islamic hate-preachers. 

Necessary steps on the way forward are: 1) the creation of the Palestinian state – governed by a reformed PLO – that is accepted world wide, especially by Israel; 2) withdrawal of Israelis from the West Bank and abandonment of Settler activity; 3) the creation of East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital.

Only then is there a chance of Islamic terrorism – domestic or world wide – to abate.

However, the conflict in the Middle East, that underpins Islamic terrorism, ostensibly can’t be resolved by Israel / Palestine, nor USA / Europe. The situation is too protracted, the players are too emotional and unrealistic … too much mired in their history. 

A radical new approach must be adapted: The solution can only come from a much strengthened UN that – importantly – is able to enforce their resolutions: specifically the two-state solution. UN resolutions should become international law.

The UNSC must be dissolved and replaced by a body without members’ veto rights; instead with the power to say: STOP the war … or else. ‘Else’ are serious repercussions: blockades, no international trade, no more civilian or military aid, freezing of assets, strong diplomatic restrictions etc.; and no more United Nations “recommendations”.