‘Proud to be enemies of evil’: Israel’s diaspora minister visits Australia, slams gov’t for inaction against antisemitism

Israeli Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli visited Sydney on Monday, as the first official representative to travel to Australia following the massacre of 15 people celebrating Hanukkah at the city’s Bondi Beach.

Chikli, who is responsible for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, met with leaders of the Jewish community and paid his respects at the site of the attack.

Together with community leaders, he laid tefillin (Jewish prayer straps) and prayed for the recovery of the wounded. In a video of him praying, Chikli commented by quoting from a prayer: "'Those who love the Lord hate evil...' Let those who seek to kill us know that we are proud to be enemies of evil."

He also visited some of the wounded, including Arsen Ostrovsky, a human rights activist who was wounded in the attack.

Ostrovsky had moved to Australia from Israel just months earlier to work with the local Jewish community. He was grazed by a bullet on the head, taking a gruesome picture of himself during the attack that later went viral.

We came to visit our dear friend @Ostrov_A, who survived the horrific terror attack at Bondi Beach.

Let our cowardly enemies - “brave” only against unarmed civilians, women, the elderly, and children, hear this clearly: you will not defeat us. You will not wipe the smiles from… pic.twitter.com/DRhAbstIod

— עמיחי שיקלי - Amichai Chikli (@AmichaiChikli) December 16, 2025

Chikli published a photo with Ostrovsky on 𝕏, writing, “Let our cowardly enemies – ‘brave’ only against unarmed civilians, women, the elderly, and children, hear this clearly: you will not defeat us. You will not wipe the smiles from our faces. And you will not extinguish the light of this holiday.”

Ostrovsky also received a visit from Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, who laid a wreath and prayed at the site of the attack shortly after returning from Israel.

“Hanukkah teaches us that light overcomes darkness – but words aren’t enough. Australia’s leaders must act now to protect Jewish communities and confront antisemitism,” the Israeli embassy stated.

Standing together with leaders of the Australian Jewish community, Ambassador @MaimonAmir conveyed heartfelt condolences to the victims and their families, and called on the government to take immediate action to ensure the safety of all Australians: Jews, Muslims, and Christians… pic.twitter.com/00k56O03Pr

— Israel in Australia (@IsraelinOZ) December 16, 2025

Chikli will also attend the funerals of the victims and visit their families. In cooperation with the Jewish Agency, the Diaspora Ministry also sent a delegation of trauma therapists and expert psychologists to provide support to the local Jewish community.

שגריר ישראל באוסטרליה, אמיר מימון, וצוות השגרירות הניחו פרחים לזכרם של הנרצחים באתר הפיגוע בבונדי ביץ׳ ומסרו הצהרה לתקשורת. pic.twitter.com/NosZxRkedu

— משרד החוץ (@IsraelHebrew) December 16, 2025

The Israeli government has responded to the massacre by condemning the Australian government in unusually strong terms, blaming it for not doing enough to prevent attacks despite skyrocketing antisemitism in the country.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar told Sky News Australia on Monday, “Look at what has happened in Australia over the past two years: the burning of synagogues, the burning of Israeli flags, large protests with chants like ‘turn the intifada into a global one.’ And what does that chant mean? An intifada is the attempt to kill Jews in Israel."

"Turning the intifada global means murdering Jews everywhere. And that is exactly what happened yesterday in Sydney," he explained, adding, “I told the Australian foreign minister yesterday: these kinds of slogans are not part of freedom of speech or freedom of expression. They are extremely dangerous and clearly inciting. They must be banned.”

Even President Isaac Herzog, who is known for his carefully moderate statements, said after the attack, “Time and again we called on the Australian government to take action and fight against the enormous wave of antisemitism that is plaguing Australian society.”

In contrast, Chikli is known for inflammatory remarks. In a radio interview with 103FM during his visit to Australia, he doubled down on criticism of the government of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

“We have seen a rise of hundreds of percent in antisemitic incidents here. We have not seen a response from the government, no attempt to curb it, we haven’t heard statements. I’m not saying they are directly responsible, but nothing was done. The government here contributed to a harsh anti-Israeli atmosphere and took zero action to fight antisemitism,” Chikli said.