Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) announced on Monday that he had returned from Australia after a week-long series of meetings with lawmakers, defense officials, and local rabbis as part of a trip focused on national security and shared concerns over rising antisemitism.
During his visit, Kaine met with rabbis in Sydney to discuss the aftermath of the mid-December terrorist attack at the “Chanukah by the Sea” event on Bondi Beach, where 15 people were killed. The meeting focused on combating antisemitism and preparing for a forthcoming Royal Commission report on antisemitism and social cohesion, expected before the first anniversary of the attack.
The attack, carried out by Naveed Akram, 24, and his father, Sajid Akram, 50, who was shot and killed by police during the incident, targeted a Chabad-Lubavitch-sponsored Chanukah celebration attended by hundreds. Naveed Akram faces 59 charges, including 15 counts of murder and one count of committing a terrorist act. He appeared via video link in a Sydney court for the first time on Monday.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the shooting as “an act of evil antisemitism, terrorism, that has struck the heart of our nation. An attack on Jewish Australians is an attack on every Australian.”
Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services committees, also discussed the Australia-United Kingdom-United States security pact, which will see Australia acquire three to five Virginia-class nuclear submarines, with components built in both countries.
“The AUKUS partnership is vital to the safety and security of the United States, Australia, and our allies throughout the Indo-Pacific region,” Kaine stated, praising Australia’s preparation to receive the submarines and emphasizing bipartisan U.S. support for the initiative.
Kaine also participated in commemorative services in Darwin honoring hundreds killed in a Japanese bombing attack on Feb. 19, 1942, including 88 American sailors lost when the USS Peary was sunk.
