Israeli deputy minister warns of Bondi Beach-style massacre in Canada after series of Toronto synagogue shootings

Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel warned on Monday that Canada faces a potential Bondi Beach-style massacre following three antisemitic shootings on synagogues in Toronto in only a week. 

"The writing was on the wall with the Bondi Massacre, and I see the exact same pattern in Canada," Haskel warned in an interview with The Jerusalem Post. 

Two Islamist terrorists murdered at least 15 Jews and wounded many more at a Hanukkah event celebration in December at Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach. 

There has been a sharp increase in antisemitic incidents in Canada, Australia and other Western nations following the Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, attack.

On Sunday, Haskel held an emergency online briefing with multiple Canadian journalists, politicians and opinion leaders on the danger of antisemitism. She also updated the Canadian audience on Israel’s ongoing Operation Roaring Lion military offensive against the Islamic Republic of Iran. 

"Diaspora communities are being targeted. The Iranians are trying to inflame fears," Haskel warned. "They have their agents in many, many countries."

Iran has targeted Israelis and Jewish communities worldwide for years. However, a senior official from Israel's National Security Council (NSC) warned on Monday of an “unprecedented removal of restraints” concerning the ayatollah regime’s global terrorist plots against Jews and Israelis. 

“No proxies, no filters. Where they can act, they act. Whether with brazen determination or in a ‘dirty’ manner. It is a fundamental change in approach because they feel they have nothing to lose right now, given what they have absorbed,” the Israeli security official said, referring to the heavy losses Iran suffered after the first week of U.S. and Israeli strikes on high-value military and political targets.

Haskel urged the diverse Canadian participants to act as a "loud voice to speak against racism, against antisemitism."

"There are not many voices speaking out against racism and antisemitism in Canada,” Haskel assessed. “Therefore, it is critical to hear those voices and to strengthen them, so they can speak out freely and without fear." 

The Israeli minister warned of the ayatollah regime’s “terror export industry” in the Middle East and globally. She reminded the audience that the Iranian missile threat is not only confined to the Middle East, as Tehran already has ballistic missiles that can reach parts of Europe. Last week, Tehran targeted the European Union member state Cyprus. Tehran also has ambitions to develop intercontinental ballistic missiles that could one day reach North America’s eastern seaboard, including New York and Toronto. 

“Public diplomacy is a critical front in the battle for the justice of our cause," Haskel argued. "Through dialogue with opinion leaders in Canada, we are mobilizing ‘truth ambassadors’ to take part in the battle of ideas against Iranian terrorism; a struggle that serves a shared global interest." 

The Israeli minister called on the Canadian government to act against the rising antisemitism in the country. 

"In light of the recent outbreaks of violence, Canada’s government is expected to act.” 

Haskel concluded by warning that failure to act in Canada could lead to a new mega-terror attack such as the Bondi Beach massacre in Australia. 

“Inaction in the face of the octopus’s tentacles will lead to a ‘Bondi Beach 2’ in the heart of Montreal or Toronto. Those who ignore terrorism in the Middle East will ultimately face it in their own homes.”

"I don't want that to happen in Canada as well," she emphasized. "I don't want the Jewish community to pay the price of blood because of the lack of action by the Canadian government. I will do everything in my capability to make sure I'm waking up the Canadian government before it's too late. Because once blood is spilled, that is one person too many."

Israeli President Isaac Herzog held a Zoom call on Monday with leaders of the Canadian Jewish community regarding the series of shooting attacks.

Herzog expressed his shock at the latest antisemitic events.

“I am deeply alarmed by the shocking rise of antisemitism in Canada ever since the October 7th massacre. This most recent series of shooting attacks on synagogues and Jewish communal institutions in the Greater Toronto Area targeted our sisters and brothers in the Jewish Diaspora while Iranian missiles continue to target our people here in Israel,” he said. “The lessons of previous antisemitic attacks in countries around the world, including the deadly Bondi Beach terror attack in Sydney, must be learned. All eyes are on Canada to halt this unprecedented wave of Jew-hatred.”

“On behalf of the State of Israel, I send a message of resilience, strength, and solidarity to the Jewish community of Toronto. The Jewish people are all one family — in times of joy and in times of difficulty. We in Israel care for every Jew anywhere in the world. We stand together and will prevail over all the forces of evil seeking to harm us,” the president continued.