Bondi’s Palestinian flag horseback ride sparks beach ban
A man who galloped his horse across Bondi Beach waving a Palestinian flag has prompted Waverley Council to rewrite the rules.
On September 8, influencer and açaí shop owner Ehtesham Ahmad rode his Arabian horse, Khalil, along the sand during heightened tensions between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel groups at Bondi Beach. Ahmad also stopped to argue with schoolchildren on the beach promenade. Viral clips of the ride divided Sydneysiders – some saw it as protest theatre, others as intimidation.
Horse on Bondi Beach (Instagram)
The ride took place a day after a clash between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel groups on the promenade and steps in the centre of Bondi Beach, which inflamed the situation.
Bondi Beach sits in the heart of Sydney’s eastern suburbs, where much of the city’s Jewish community lives, adding to the sensitivity of the incident and its symbolism.
Councillor Steven Lewis, who is also a member of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, told the Wentworth Courier in September that the horseback ride was “done deliberately to intimidate the Jewish community.”
Afterwards, the council discovered it had no power to act, as existing signage did not ban horses.
Legal advice to the council had found “no enforcement powers are available” under existing laws and that “Council’s enforcement options are presently exhausted.”
At its October 21 meeting, councillors voted to close that loophole. The motion, introduced by Mayor Will Nemesh, directed staff to update all beach and park entry signs across Bondi, Bronte, and Tamarama to read “no vehicles and no animals” – language drawn from the Crown Land Management Act 2016.
Vinyl stickers will be added to existing signs, with new permanent signage to follow. A council spokesperson said the change “will ensure clarity around the issue of horse-riding in future, as well as addressing broader potential conflicts arising from the extended definition of ‘vehicles’.”
The motion passed 9–2, with Greens councillors Ludovico Fabiano and Dominic Wy Kanak opposing. Councillor Fabiano had previously stated that the enforcement crackdown was “unnecessary”, and that “people will always do whatever they think is needed to be noticed, and I think there’s already enough restrictions applying to Bondi Beach without adding any more.” Police horses and service animals will be exempt, and dogs remain barred from the sand.
