Australia spy chief says antisemitism “left unchecked” post Gaza war

Antisemitism in Australia was left unchecked following the outbreak of the Israel–Gaza war in October 2023, contributing to violence against Jewish communities, the country’s intelligence chief told an inquiry on May 25.

The comments were made during public hearings of a Royal Commission investigating the circumstances surrounding the Bondi Beach mass shooting in December, in which 15 people were killed during a Hanukkah celebration, Reuters reports. 

The Director-General of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, Mike Burgess, said the surge in antisemitic incidents contributed to the agency’s decision to raise Australia’s national terrorism threat level to “probable” in August 2024.

"There is no doubt that the war in the Middle East invoked a range of emotions in Australia," added Burgess, the agency's director-general of security.

"Some of those violent aspects ... and those behaviours, including antisemitism that, in our view, were left unchecked, were therefore normalised and gave more permission for violence ... and Jewish Australians were on the receiving end."

He told the commission that from late 2024 antisemitism had escalated from “threatening, intimidating behaviour ‌to ⁠direct targeting of people, businesses and places of worship”.

Such incidents included vandalism and arson attacks on homes, schools, synagogues and vehicles in the months leading up to the Bondi attack.

Burgess also said intelligence assessments indicated that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was behind two antisemitic attacks targeting a kosher restaurant in Sydney and the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne, a finding that led to the expulsion of Iran’s ambassador in August.

Iran was “probably involved in more attacks,” he said, but added that intelligence services “just can't quite get there” ⁠in confirming further responsibility.

"They use their network of proxies and agents to do their bidding, and that is to bring harm to Jewish ⁠people wherever they are in the world."

The Royal Commission hearings this month have focused on the nature and rise of antisemitism in Australia, including testimony from members of the Jewish community.

By Sabina Mammadli