NewNow you can listen to Fox News articles!
Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Senator John Fetterman, D-Pa., agreed to condemn anti-Semitism in a rare moment of shared ideology and appreciation during an interview Tuesday on “Hannity.”
Senator Cruz told host Sean Hannity, “I want to commend John Fetterman for the courage that he has had… He has shown extraordinary courage to expose anti-Semitism in his own party. And he has done so at great cost to himself.”
The senators’ bipartisan discussion follows the Dec. 14 mass shooting at Bondi Beach, which left 15 people dead.
Authorities say the shooting occurred as about 1,000 people gathered at Australia’s most popular beach to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah.
Australia has moved to tighten gun laws after the Hanukkah mass shooting at Bondi Beach left 15 people dead.
Police cordon off an area of Bondi Beach following a terrorist attack at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, Australia on December 14, 2025. (Mark Baker/AP Photo)
“What we saw on Bondi Beach was the latest manifestation of this evil, and this evil is spreading. It’s hatred toward Israel. It’s hatred toward Jews,” Cruz said.
“They [Jews] “You know, you can’t even celebrate your holidays without getting shot, bitten and shot at,” Fetterman said.
What Fetterman called a “horrible massacre” left 42 people hospitalized, including two police officers.
According to reports, one of the deceased victims was a Holocaust survivor.
The Democratic lawmaker stressed that anti-Semitism is an issue his party must “confront” and Cruz agreed, sharply criticizing the deadly Bondi attack.
“It’s weird, it’s bad, and it’s dangerous, and we need to stand up and face it,” the Texas senator said.
Senator Ted Cruz speaks during a roundtable discussion at the US Capitol on March 3, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
New South Wales Police say two suspects, a father and son, have been taken into custody. 50 year old father has died; His 24-year-old son is admitted to the hospital in injured condition.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese claimed that the attack was inspired by “Islamic State ideology”.
Senator Cruz condemned the “radical” Islamic State.
“Radical Islamic terrorism, they are at war with us,” he told Fox News. “This is their motive. There is evidence that the killers were a father-son duo.” [sic] Affiliated with ISIS.”
Schumer criticized for saying ‘Go Bills’ before addressing mass shooting in Australia
Ahmed al Ahmed, a 43-year-old Muslim man, is credited with disarming one of the two gunmen. This heroic act was captured in a viral video in which he snatched the gun from the hands of the attacker.
Ahmed has received much praise for his life-saving actions. Albanese called him an “Australian hero”.
Israeli officials have sharply criticized the Australian government for failing to protect Jewish communities amid a rise in anti-Semitic incidents.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the shootings at Ax, revealing that he had written a letter to Albanese four months earlier.
“I told him: ‘Your policy promotes terrorism. It promotes anti-Semitism,'” Netanyahu wrote to X.
As their conversation moved beyond the Bondi attack, Cruz and Fetterman also agreed on President Donald Trump’s dismantling of Iranian nuclear sites.
Cruz argued, “The most important foreign policy decision President Trump has made in his second term was the decision to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities.”
“When the Ayatollah calls for the death of America, I believe him,” the Republican senator said. “As commander-in-chief, the President has an obligation to keep the American people safe, and allowing the Ayatollah to acquire nuclear weapons, which he could use to kill thousands or millions of Americans, was an unacceptable risk.”
Senator John Fetterman participates in a debate in Boston on June 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Steven Sen, File)
Senator Fetterman called President Trump’s bombing an “absolutely” appropriate move.
“I believe I was the only Democrat who was actually calling for the bombing of an Iranian nuclear facility and fully supporting it,” Fetterman said.
The discussion turned to domestic concerns, including increasing anti-Semitic incidents in the United States.
Click here to download Fox News App
Fetterman criticized former President Joe Biden’s border policies as a “disaster” and called for increased vetting of immigrants.
“It also makes sense to bring in people who have the type of values that are compatible with our values,” Fetterman explained. “This is not about free speech. This is about bringing forward people who want to assimilate into our country, and they want to make their lives in our country, and not be part of a destructive force in our country.”
