Extremist groups' shared hatred of Jews poses unprecedented security threat, royal commission hears

Australia's Jewish community is confronting an unprecedented security threat, as diverse extremist groups increasingly share a common hatred of Jews, the nation's antisemitism royal commission was told. The inquiry is focusing on security arrangements for Jewish communities in the aftermath of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks and the subsequent Israeli military operations in Gaza.

“

little in common other than their willingness to resort to violence to further their cause and their shared hatred for Jews

Evidence presented over a week indicated a broad consensus that vilification of Jewish communities in Australia surged following the Hamas terror attack and Israel's bombardment of Gaza. Tahli Blicblau, CEO of the Dor Foundation, told the commission that four distinct radical ideologies, Islamic extremism, the far-right, fringe elements of the far-left, and conspiracy movements, converge on their willingness to use violence and their shared animosity towards Jews.

“

This convergence is creating a security environment for not only the broader Australian public but the Jewish community that is unprecedented and therefore demands an unprecedented level of sophistication and integration in its response.

This convergence extends to threat actors, including domestic and foreign terrorist organizations, creating a security environment that is "unprecedented" for both the general Australian public and the Jewish community. Ms. Blicblau stressed the need for a similarly sophisticated and integrated response. She highlighted that funding needs have dramatically increased, and the responsibility should not solely rest on Jewish philanthropy.

“

If you accept the level of threat is severe … then it follows that the level of integration and engagement between the Jewish community and the law enforcement and intelligence agencies needs to be sufficiently mature to meet the scale of the threat.

Furthermore, Ms. Blicblau called for stronger, formalized institutional links between law enforcement agencies, particularly in New South Wales, and Jewish groups. She argued that in the current severe threat environment, "positive communication and cooperation is not necessarily enough." The relationships need to be embedded organizationally to adequately meet the scale of the threat.

“

In an environment like this, positive communication and cooperation is not necessarily enough. There is a need to formalise and embed those relationships institutionally and organisationally.