Aiden

Here at Bondi Beach in Sydney, the scene of the horrific antisemitic terror attack at a Chanukah celebration in December, I begin my official visit to Australia at the invitation of Governor-General Sam Mostyn, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and the Australian Jewish community. On behalf of the State of Israel, I pay tribute to all 15 victims murdered in the deadliest terror attack in Australian history. From here at Bondi, I embrace the bereaved families, pray for a speedy recovery for all those injured, and express my deepest gratitude to all those heroes who saved innocent lives under fire. Standing here at Bondi - an iconic symbol of Australian life, now scarred by the December 14th massacre - I embrace our Australian Jewish sisters and brothers still reeling from this trauma. I also reach out to the wonderful people of Australia who have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Australian Jews in the aftermath of the attack.  My visit to Australia, to all of you, is one of solidarity, strength, and sincere friendship from the State of Israel and the people of Israel. Together, we must confront the evils of antisemitism, extremism, and terror here in Australia and around the world.

Major donor walks out of @sydney_festival, pulls funding over show ‘repulsive’ to Jews. Story by Michael Bailey in @FinancialReview: afr.com/life-and-luxur…

I hope the terror regime of Iran is finally taken down. I stand with the people of Iran. Where’s Greta? Ruffalo?Javier? Joaquin? Miranda from Sex in the city? Where’s all the College kids? Why aren’t they speaking up for the people of Iran? Ilhan? Rashida?AOC?Bernie? Hellllllo?

Prime Minister what are you covering up? What are you hiding? Why are you running from a Royal Commission following the Bondi massacre? You treat Australians as fools when you say that you don’t want a ‘Royal Commision into the whole functioning of Australia’. Nobody is asking for that. What the former Chief Justice, Governor General, Prime Ministers, National Security chiefs, 200 Senior Counsel, Members of Parliament past and present, the Jewish community and today the Dawson family whose daughter was tragically murdered in the Lindt Cafe siege, are all asking for, is a comprehensive, transparent, independent and powerful inquiry, into how Australia’s deadliest terrorist attack could occur despite all the warning signs against the backdrop of an unprecedented escalation of antisemitism and radicalisation in our country. Prime Minister no more excuses. Australians want answers. Australia needs solutions. If we don’t learn from this shameful chapter in our history we are doomed to repeat it. And Prime Minister next time you do a press conference don’t try and use the Lindt Cafe siege as another excuse to dismiss a Royal Commisson. Because this is what the Dawson family said in response to that claim. “We are appalled that the prime minister, seeking to avoid a much-needed royal commission into antisemitism and Islamic extremism, would say that we don’t need a royal commission because there wasn’t one into the Lindt siege. The Lindt siege, as horrible as it was, was one devastating incident. The Bondi massacre is just the latest of so many attacks on Jewish Australians that have taken place over the last two years and two months. And there are now more anti-Jewish demonstrations taking place. Our country has become divided, and we must do everything possible to heal that division. A federal royal commission can cut through these sort of constraints and consider the very wide range of issues that need to be examined.” Prime Minister, please read the Dawson family statement, reflect on their words and don’t delay a day longer in calling a Royal Commission.

Today the former Chief Justice of the High Court Robert French, former head of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS) Nick Warner, former Queensland Premier Peter Beattie, former Federal Labor minister Mike Kelly & Labor Senator Nova Peris, 100 Senior Counsel and current Labor MPs Mike Friedlander and Ed Husic joined the Jewish community and the Coalition in a growing chorus of legal, political, security and civil leaders calling for an urgent Commonwealth Royal Commission into the Bondi massacre.  I urge the Prime Minister to heed this message and announce a Royal Commission now.  It's illogical for the Prime Minister to say "we want urgency and unity, not division and delay" in dismissing a Royal Commission.  Prime Minister you have been delaying taking strong action for the last two and half years. If you want to use alliteration then what we want is accountability and action and not a Prime Minister who is in denial but one who shares our despair. Mr French's words today were powerful and pertinent. He described what needs to be done as a "moral imperative" saying "there is no requirement for governments to put on hold their responses to the (Bondi) attack pending the provision of reports by the Royal Commission. The events at Bondi Beach require a whole of Australia response which transcends politics and which by its very independence generates a powerful force for change." Mr Warner said "at the heart of the horror and tragedy of Bondi lies antisemitism, allowed to fester and grow through years of inaction. This must be addressed and acted on, and a carefully mandated Royal Commission would play an important role." In the days since Australia's deadliest ever terrorist attack, we have heard too many excuses from our Prime Minister and his senior Ministers. We have been told 'you can't legislate against hate'; we have been told 'anti-semitism didn't begin in 2022'; we have been told that it comes to the threat  'we are dealing with a circle of two'; we have been told the priority is a gun buy back not the radicalism in our midst; and now we are told we can't have a Royal Commission because it will lead to 'delays' in the response. Each excuse only compounds the pain of the last week and underscores the need for the Government to take urgent, unprecedented and strong action to secure the safety of all Australians.

The South Sydney Rabbitohs and Souths Cares send their deepest and most heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of young Matilda, who passed away on Sunday. Matilda and her younger sister, Summer, participated in Souths Cares’ programs over the past two years and were both rays of sunshine in their interactions with Souths Cares and the Rabbitohs. On this most difficult of days for her family, the day of Matilda’s funeral, everyone in the South Sydney family are thinking of you, and are here to support you.

Former Treasurer @JoshFrydenberg calling out the Prime Minister.

I was very happy to see that Prime Minister @AlboMP visited the Bondi hero Ahmed el-Ahmed in hospital. That was absolutely necessary! But has he visited any of the other Jewish survivors from the Chanukah festival? I am still in hospital & have not had any approach from the PM.

Last night’s terrorist attack on families celebrating the Jewish festival of Hanukkah at Bondi Beach is a tragedy of unimaginable proportions. My heart goes out to the loved ones of all those killed and injured. After yesterday Australia will never be the same. Every Australian has been attacked by this evil and hateful act of violence. It was all too predictable and so many of us said so. The Director General of our national security and intelligence agency ASIO even rang the alarm bell himself warning that the dangerous rise in antisemitism was his ‘number one priority’ in terms of threats to life. Why didn’t our leaders listen and why didn’t they act? The massacre we have seen at one of our nations most inconic landmarks is the culmination of an unprecedented failure of leadership to heed the warning signs that were so obvious to every Australian who opened their eyes. From the disgraceful scenes on the steps of the Opera House just hours after Hamas’s attack on October 7 to the firebombing of synagogues and child care centres, the doxxing of Jewish artists, harassment of jewish students and daily violent protests on our streets, the last two years has seen a tsunami of hate that has left the local jewish community feeling abandoned and alone. In response we got little more than hollow words from our leaders as they stood by and watched the flames of hate burn. The Prime Minister’s public pledge after October 7 that he would not let antisemitism ‘find so much as a foothold here’ in Australia, is now fully exposed for the failure it has been. The fact is Australia is no longer safe for Jews. Everything must now change from here. Everything must be on the table. The law must be enforced. Those who spew hate must no longer be tolerated. We cannot as a country continue as we have done. Our leaders must now finally stand up, accept responsibility for what has happened on their watch and close this shameful chapter in our nation’s history. Every Australian must demand nothing less.

Beautiful tribute to the returned hostages created by an Israeli news channel.

Two years. Two years passed since the last moment I saw Avinatan, the love of my life. Two years since the moment terrorists kidnapped us, put me on a motorcycle, and tore me away from Avinatan before the eyes of the entire world. From that moment, our journey in captivity was separated. I was held captive with children, women, and the elderly, while Avinatan was held alone. I was mostly kept inside houses, while Avinatan was only in the tunnels. Hamas released videos and signs of life from me, while there was no information at all about Avinatan. I was held captive by Hamas for 246 days, while Avinatan was held for 738 days. I came back in a heroic rescue operation, and Avinatan returned in a deal. But both of us, against all odds, came home and were reunited! I cannot put into words the range of emotions I felt when I saw him for the first time after so long. Each of us faced death countless times, and yet, after two years apart, we are finally taking our first steps together again in the State of Israel. At last, we can begin our healing together. The recovery will be long; we still haven’t truly processed what has happened here over these past two years. But we won. We won our personal war, and the war of all those who fought alongside us to reach this moment. And now, the time has come to begin our shared journey together. I want to say a huge thank you, first and foremost, to the @IDF soldiers and security forces who have been fighting for so long and risk their lives for us every single day. Thank you to our family, friends, and to the people of Israel, Am Yisrael, who raised their voices when we couldn’t speak. To the people around the world who embraced us, to all the incredible individuals who supported us through the hardest times and never lost hope throughout this long period. To the US government, which opened its doors to me and was always there to listen, especially @SEPeaceMissions Steve Witkoff, @jaredkushner, and the exceptional, President @realDonaldTrump. To all the people who too stood beside our hostages and understood that light must overcome darkness. We will never forget the fallen and the murdered, and we will not stop fighting until every fallen soldier and hostage is brought home for a proper burial in Israel. Thank you, thank you, thank you! This could never have happened without you. We are back ❤️

HORRIFYING TESTIMONIES: - Elkana Bohbot spent his entire captivity underground in Hamas’ tunnels, chained to the floor. - Avinatan Or spent two years completely isolated in captivity. He lost 30% to 40% of his weight. - Matan Angrest was given a medical procedure without anesthesia, which caused his condition to worsen. - Twins Gali and Ziv Berman were held separately and did not know they would be reunited for the release. - Omri Moran was moved through Gaza 23 times and had to cook for his captors. ⁠- Hamas terrorists lied to one of the hostages that his family had been killed on October 7th to torture him mentally. Each testimony reveals a new level of Hamas' evil and surpasses even the worst horrors we thought possible. These men survived a horror movie. But it was no movie — it was their reality.

October 7 was an abomination. Today is a celebration. Blessed are the peacemakers. ❤️🙏

Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA’s Commissioner-General, has admitted: there was no famine in Gaza. Enough food for everyone — for three months. The only real hunger is that of the hostages, waiting to return home. 🎗️

Pray for the hostages. 🙏🏻🎗️🇮🇱

I’ve never shared this before. A day or two after October 7th, early in the morning, the country was in shock. Even before the funeral of Mapal Adam z”l, who was murdered at the Nova festival, I went to the home of her sister, Maayan. Her mother, her brother Yarden, Maayan, and Maayan’s partner Yuval were there. We sat in the small yard and talked. Then Roee, Mapal’s boyfriend, arrived and sat down to tell the family for the first time what had actually happened and how Mapal had died. I stood up to leave such an intimate moment, but the family said to me, “Stay.” And then, for about an hour, Roee described in a trembling voice, detail by detail, How he and Mapal hid under a car, and Hili Solomon, Mapal’s best friend, under another car nearby, all surrounded by dozens, perhaps hundreds, of terrorists. How they stayed silent, pretending to be dead. How the vile terrorists came and shot them “confirmation shots” at point-blank range. How the blood flowed from their bodies, and Mapal’s life drained out of her there, as they lay pressed together. How the monsters came back a second time and shot again, as gasoline from the car leaked and mixed with the blood. How Roee smeared himself, and I think also Mapal, with blood so they would appear dead. How for endless hours no one came. I felt as though I was hearing the testimony of a Holocaust survivor, minutes after being liberated from Auschwitz. Because that’s what it was. A small Holocaust. No state. No army. Jews hiding for hours from murderous beasts. We all felt that Roee carried crushing guilt for not being able to save the love of his life, Mapal, nor her friend Hili. Of course, Roee could not have done anything more than he did. He bore no blame whatsoever. Mapal’s family told him that clearly and embraced him with immense love and compassion. Since then, as I understand, Roee devoted himself to helping others however he could. But in the early hours of this morning, two years later, Roee’s strength finally gave out, and this man, with his wounded soul, took his own life. Another soul murdered on that cursed day. ** In the coming days, hopefully already tomorrow, we will celebrate the return of the hostages. But we must not forget the murdered, the fallen soldiers and their families, nor the survivors who struggle every day with the horrors in their minds. Nor the thousands wounded in body and spirit. They live among us, and it is our duty to care for them. This is a matter of national priority. It is urgent! The day after we form the government, an authority will be established to care for the victims and their families. a moral, national, governmental obligation. May the soul of Roee be bound in the bond of life, alongside the love of his life, Mapal.

🚨🎗️BREAKING: The hostages will be released today between 7:00 PM and midnight Israeli time.

They're coming home🎗️

Finally, after two long years🎗️.

Praying that this time next week they are all finally home 🎗️