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Israel offers training to counter terror inspired by IS

The Israeli government stands “ready and willing to assist” following the terrorist attack in Bondi. (Mick Tsikas/AAP PHOTOS)

By Samantha Lock

Israel insists it is willing to train Australian police in countering terrorism and antisemitism while accusing the federal government of lacking action on “radical Islam”.

Writing to Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli says his government stands “ready and willing to assist” following the Hanukkah event atrocity at Bondi Beach.

“We bring extensive experience in combating radical Islamic terrorism and anti-Semitism,” Mr Chikli wrote.

“We would welcome the opportunity to host and train senior Australian police officers and security personnel in Israel, sharing our expertise and best practices in countering terrorism and anti-Semitism.”

Mr Chikli, who visited Bondi in the days after the December 14 attack, said there was “deep concern and an unequivocal demand for decisive and concrete action” among the Jewish community.

He rebuked the Albanese government over what he said was a failure to identify radical Islam as the “driving ideology” behind the mass shooting.

“The fact Prime Minister Albanese and Minister for Foreign Affairs (Penny) Wong have failed to clearly name the source of this violence – radical Islam – undermines the ability to confront it,” Mr Chikli said.

“The first step in fighting terrorism and anti-Semitism is precise diagnosis – not merely focusing on the weapons used but on the extremist ideology responsible for the violence.

“It is radical Islamist extremism that has attacked and continues to threaten the Jewish community and Australian society at large.”

A spokesman for Mr Burke said “the government has taken action on hate speech, hate crimes and hate symbols and is continuing to act through legislation announced in recent weeks”.

Anthony Albanese has been repeatedly asked to call out radical Islam after it was revealed the father and son gunmen were inspired by Islamic State.

“We know ISIS is an ideology, a perversion of Islam, that essentially doesn’t agree with any recognition of nation states, seeks a caliphate,” he said last week.

The letter comes amid a chorus of business and religious leaders as well as peak industry groups calling for a federal royal commission into the attack.

Nine representatives of major employers including the Business Council, Australian Banking Association and Minerals Council said the inquiry would show Australia is serious about combating anti-Semitism.

“A federal royal commission can help us understand what happened, what needs to be done different and bring us together in the shared goal of preventing future tragedy,” the statement said.

Senior minister Tanya Plibersek has meanwhile has sidestepped questions about the experts consulted by government who have advised against holding a royal commission.

“That would be a question for the prime minister and members of the National Security Committee,” she told reporters in Sydney.

“Those discussions are quite rightly held on a need to know basis and I’m not on the National Security Committee, so I’ll leave that to members of that committee to answer.”

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley on Tuesday said “if the prime minister has experts who have effectively said ‘no’, then he needs to provide that advice”.

Ms Plibersek reiterated the government had already committed to co-operating with a NSW royal commission, established the Richardson and Gonski inquiries and responded to the report of special envoy Jillian Segal.

She also noted the NSW Law Enforcement Conduct Commission would hold an additional inquiry and that both criminal and coroner’s court proceedings were anticipated.

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Ian Meikle, editor

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8 Responses to Israel offers training to counter terror inspired by IS

Clive Williams says: 3 January 2026 at 9:06 am

This is unbelievably arrogant on the part of Israel and clearly does not recognise how unfavourably the Israeli police are viewed by most Western police forces. Perhaps we should ask for Israel’s advice on how to deal with our Muslim population as well? Israel needs to butt out of our affairs and stop interfering in Australian politics.

Reply
Peter McKay says: 3 January 2026 at 6:32 pm

Sadly Israel clearly states the issue at hand. In contrast our leaders choose to ignore decades of Islamic terrorism that has targeted and slain citizens across a range of countries including the United Kingdom, France etc as well as Australia.
Other nations called out the motives why can’t our government?

Reply
Clive Williams says: 3 January 2026 at 9:45 pm

I think you mean Islamist terrorism. There’s nothing Islamic about terrorism.

Reply
Peter McKay says: 4 January 2026 at 6:03 pm

All terrorism has a source and a reason for being. People cause terror for a reason. The desire to kill others whether using a suicide vest, a knife in Paramatta or multiple planes into national buildings is something we should seek to understand especially when it is motivated by a worldview so strongly held it leads to self-sacrifice. Statistically most terrorist acts in Australia including Bondi are committed by individuals guided and motivated with the expansion of Islam.
If this is not Islamic terrorism, then what is at the core of these attacks even when the perpetrators declare their final cry of allegiance to Islam ?

Reply
cbrapsycho says: 3 January 2026 at 6:36 pm

Israel failed on October 7 2023 to protect its own people, not listening to the warnings and then failing to respond to reports of what was happening until well after many were killed and kidnapped. They need to investigate their own failure to deal with terrorism before anyone can take them seriously.

We know Israel has little regard for people who get in the way of their attacks and killing, being happy to accept high rates of innocents being killed and maimed when they are seeking to assassinate a single person. Honestly do we want our police to learn from them???

Reply
Ian Meikle says: 5 January 2026 at 11:05 am

Clive Williams comments: “Islamist” terrorism is the preferred term because it covers political extremist ideologies claiming Islamic justification, not Islam itself. “Islamic” terrorism wrongly implies the religion as a whole is violent, which misrepresents the religion, most Muslims, and fuels stigma and misunderstanding.

Reply
cbrapsycho says: 5 January 2026 at 3:21 pm

A valuable explanation of the difference. Thanks Ian.

Too much wrongly directed hate results from misunderstandings and overgeneralisations that harm large groups of people who have done nothing wrong.

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