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Dozens of Australian Sports Figures Call for Royal Commission Into Antisemitism After Bondi Attack
Grandparents of 10-year-old Matilda, who was killed during a mass shooting targeting a Hanukkah celebration on Sunday, grieve at the floral memorial to honor the victims of the mass shooting at Bondi Beach, in Sydney, Australia, Dec. 16, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Jeremy Piper
More than 60 notable Australian sports figures penned an open letter on Sunday calling for the government of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to immediately form a federal royal commission into antisemitism, radicalization, and the events leading up to last month’s terrorist attack at a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach.
“A royal commission is the most credible and unifying pathway to understanding what went wrong, ensuring accountability, restoring social harmony, and taking Australia forward with a meaningful, practical plan of action,” they argued in their letter. “As Australians who have long championed unity and national pride – on the field and beyond it – we implore our leaders to act with urgency and moral clarity. The safety of Australians, and the future cohesion of our nation, depends on it.”
The sports icons added that the Dec. 14 mass shooting in Sydney, in which 15 Jewish people were killed and dozens more were injured, was “a national crisis, and it demands a national response.” They explained how the attack, perpetrated by who law enforcement described as two Islamic State-inspired gunmen, “did not occur in isolation” and took place following “more than two years of escalating extremism, intimidation, and unchecked radicalization within Australia.”
The open letter‘s signatories include Olympic gold medalists Jessica Fox and Ian Thorpe, rower Mike McKay, Sydney Swans soccer player Isaac Heeney, hockey player Danni Roche, former Olympic swimmer Dawn Fraser, former tennis player Lleyton Hewit, and former Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. Former Labor federal senator and Olympian Nova Peris also signed the open letter, as well as John Alexander, an ex-tennis player who was formerly a Liberal member of Parliament.
“As sporting leaders, we understand that leadership matters, especially when values are tested,” the letter noted. “We call on the prime minister and the Australian government to show decisive national leadership by confronting extremism and terrorism in all its forms, without fear or hesitation. We must also put an end to the unprecedented harassment, intimidation and violence that has been directed at the Australian Jewish community since Oct. 7, 2023.”
Australia has experienced a historic surge in antisemitic incidents over the last two years, amid the war in Gaza following Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of and massacre across southern Israel.
The signatories of the letter said the world will be turning its attention even more to Australia in the near future because of the upcoming Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games. “The safety of our citizens, the integrity of our public spaces, and the values we project as a nation have never mattered more,” they stated in conclusion.
Family members of those murdered in the Bondi attack have previously called for a federal royal commission to investigate antisemitism and issues surrounding the mass shooting on Dec. 14. Similar sentiments were expressed in an open letter penned by more than 120 business leaders and public figures in the Business Council of Australia, and repeated by more than 200 judges. Senior Catholic bishops and Australia’s Human Rights Commissioner Lorraine Finlay have also stated that a national inquiry into antisemitism in the country is needed.
“Understanding the deeper causes of violence is critical. The Bondi terrorist attack was driven by antisemitism. Confronting that directly must be a national priority,” Finlay said in a post on X on Dec. 31. “A federal royal commission is essential to fully understand what has happened and ensure it never happens again.”
The New South Wales government has instead chosen to run a state-based royal commission to investigate the attack, and the prime minister called for a review of intelligence and law enforcement agencies by the former Australian Security and Intelligence Service head Dennis Richardson. The federal government has also introduced tougher gun laws since the attack on Hanukkah.
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Some Tankers Cross Strait of Hormuz Before Shots Fired, Ship-Tracking Data Shows
A satellite image shows the ship movement at the Strait of Hormuz on April 17, 2026, in Space. EUROPEAN UNION/COPERNICUS SENTINEL-2/Handout via REUTERS
More than a dozen tankers, including three sanctioned vessels, passed through the Strait of Hormuz after a 50-day blockade was lifted on Friday, shipping data showed, before Iran reimposed restrictions on Saturday and fired at some vessels.
Reopening the strait is key for Gulf producers to resume full oil and gas supplies to the world, and end what the International Energy Agency has called the worst-ever supply disruption.
US President Donald Trump said on Friday Iran had agreed to open the strait, while Iranian officials said they wanted the US to fully lift its blockade of Iranian tankers.
Western shipping companies cautiously welcomed the announcements but said more clarity was needed, including on the presence of sea mines, before their vessels could transit.
IRAN RESUMES RESTRICTIONS
The ships that passed through the strait on Friday and Saturday via Iranian waters south of Larak island were mainly older, non-Western-owned vessels and included four sanctioned ships, according to ship-tracking data.
Iran arranged passage for a limited number of oil tankers and commercial ships following prior agreements in negotiations, a spokesperson for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said.
Other ships have been seen approaching the strait and turning back as Iran said it would maintain strict controls as long as the US continues its blockade of Iranian ports.
The UK Navy reported on Saturday that Iranian gunboats fired at some ships attempting to cross the strait.
Some merchant vessels received radio messages from Iran’s navy saying the strait was shut again and that no ships were allowed to pass, shipping sources said on Saturday.
Ship-tracking data showed five vessels loaded with liquefied natural gas from Ras Laffan in Qatar approaching the strait on Saturday morning.
No LNG cargoes have transited the waterway since the US-Israeli war with Iran began on February 28.
Hundreds of ships have been stuck in the Gulf since the conflict started and Tehran closed the strait, forcing Gulf oil and gas producers to sharply cut production.
Top producers such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iraq and Kuwait say they need steady tanker flows and unrestricted passage through the strait to resume normal export operations.
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Trump Greenlights Russian Oil to Ease Strain on Global Markets After War with Iran
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Washington, DC, US, March 27, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
i24 News – The Trump administration has authorized a 30-day emergency waiver allowing the maritime purchase of Russian oil, reversing a hardline stance in an effort to stabilize skyrocketing global energy prices.
The Treasury Department announced Friday that the license for crude and petroleum products will remain in effect until May 16, 2026, responding to intense pressure from international partners struggling with the fallout of the war with Iran.
This policy pivot comes as a surprise after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested earlier this week that no further exemptions would be granted:
“As negotiations with Iran accelerate, the administration seeks to ensure oil availability for those who need it most. We must prevent a total price collapse for consumers while the geopolitical situation remains volatile.”
Ensuring global oil availability is paramount for the US as over 80 energy facilities in the Middle East have been damaged by recent war with Iran. With the November midterm elections approaching, record-high fuel prices at the pump remain a primary vulnerability for the Republican party. By allowing Russian oil back into the maritime flow, the administration hopes to neutralize “pain at the pump” before voters head to the polls.
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UK: Islamist Group Claims to Attack Israeli Embassy with ‘Drones Carrying Radioactive, Carcinogenic Materials’
A UK man has been arrested for allegedly threatening a group of Jews while wielding an ax on Rosh Hashanah. Photo: Tony Webster / Wikimedia Commons.
i24 News – British police officers in protective clothing were seen investigating a “security incident” near the Israeli embassy in London on Friday, after a jihadist group put out a video showing it launching two drones allegedly carrying radioactive and carcinogenic materials toward the embassy.
“There is an increased police presence in Kensington Gardens and officers are assessing a number of discarded items. As a precaution, some of the officers who have been deployed are wearing protective clothing. We recognize this may concern local residents and the wider public,” police said in a statement.
“Counter Terrorism Policing London are aware of a video shared online overnight in which a group claims to have targeted the nearby embassy of Israel with drones carrying dangerous substances,” the statement further read. “While we can confirm that the embassy has not been attacked, we are carrying out urgent inquiries to determine the authenticity of the video and to identify any potential link between it and the items discarded in Kensington Gardens.”
The incident comes amid a steep hike in antisemitic attacks in Britain targeting Jewish and Israeli individuals and institutions.
The group that released the video was identified as Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, a shadowy entity with suspected ties to Iran. It has already claimed seven attacks against Jewish institutions, including an arson attack in London where four ambulances owned by the Hatzolah charity were torched.