Australia/Israel Review

Nursing Grievances

Australians were stunned by shocking footage of two nurses in a major hospital in Sydney boasting on social media they would kill Israeli patients if they had to treat them. 

Speaking to Sky News (Feb. 13), prominent Sydney Muslim leader Jamal Rifi insisted that “the majority of the Muslim community, they have condemned what they have done, and they don’t agree with it, and we don’t hold these views whatsoever.”

Yet News Corp columnist Andrew Bolt (Feb. 17) noted, “Not one of our main Muslim groups. Not the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, the Australian National Imams Council, the Alliance of Australian Muslims, or the Australian Muslim Advocacy Network” had denounced the nurses.

On Sky News (Feb. 14), AIJAC’s Joel Burnie was asked about the reaction of Muslim organisations and leaders to the incident. Burnie said, “Unfortunately, we’d have to suggest on what we see is that many voices that want to reach out to the Jewish community proactively, and with an outstretched arm of solidarity and unity… unfortunately find it difficult to do so with the potential backlash from either organisations in their community or let alone their constituents.”

In the Daily Telegraph (Feb. 13), Burnie wrote that “matters would likely never have deteriorated to this stage if similar expressions of hatred had been deplored and shut down in the months following October 2023.”

In the West Australian (Feb. 18), AIJAC’s Ahron Shapiro wrote about the situation of hospitals in Israel where Arabs and Jews work alongside each other in “unsinkable islands of coexistence.” Shapiro said that unlike Australia in the last 15 months, where some health care workers have attended virulently anti-Israel demonstrations in uniform, in Israel, health care workers keep politics out of the hospital ward, focussing only on the treatment of their patients.

In the Australian (Feb. 15), columnist Julie Szego wrote, “Bankstown Hospital, its website full of the usual social justice blather about supporting ‘culturally and linguistically diverse communities’, saw nothing wrong with disseminating a photo with what a spokesperson now calls ‘political messaging’. It had no concerns such an image might undermine people’s faith that Bankstown provided excellent healthcare to all, regardless of ethnicity or political views. If ‘Free Palestine’ is the hospital vibe, why be shocked at nurses broadcasting to the world a delightful, lighthearted riff on snuffing out Israeli patients?”

 

Lyons stretches

On Feb. 5, after US President Donald Trump’s press conference with Israeli PM Binyamin Netanyahu, where he discussed his plan to rebuild Gaza and transfer its population to Egypt and Jordan, ABC Global Affairs Editor John Lyons gave a running commentary, often letting his enthusiasm get the better of him.

On ABC TV “News” (Feb. 5), Lyons wrongly accused Trump of supplying Israel with the bombs that devastated Gaza (that was previous President Joe Biden).

He also falsely referred to Netanyahu as “on the far right himself.”

A theme Lyons kept repeating was the claim that US foreign aid to Egypt and Jordan means that “neither… regime… can exist, stay in place, without American money.”

In 2023, Egypt and Jordan received US$1.43 billion and US$1.7 billion respectively in US foreign aid – sums that Saudi Arabia or another Gulf state could easily replace should Trump withhold aid. 

 

Gas bag

On Feb. 6, Lyons twice suggested a motivation for Trump’s plan was the “huge oil and gas reserves off the coast of Gaza.” 

Lyons continued, “In fact, last year, or the year before, Israel unilaterally announced a development of one of them. Because they’re off the occupied Palestinian territories, technically, they should be part of their assets. Or once there’s a resolution to this conflict, that should be worked out.” 

He added that a 2019 report by the UN Trade and Development Organisation claimed the estimated recoverable oil off Gaza was 1.7 billion barrels.

“And so, one of the reasons, or certainly if America unilaterally took over Gaza, as Donald Trump suggested, perhaps moved troops in, tried to get the Palestinians to leave, Americans presumably would say, well, we’re now here… We then have access to that energy.”

The estimate of 1.7 billion barrels is for Israel’s territorial waters. There has been no assessment of the oil off Gaza. 

As for the “unilateral” development project, in 2023, with Egyptian mediation, Israel agreed that gas could be extracted off Gaza to raise revenue and provide energy for Gaza and the Palestinian Authority, not for Israel, as Lyons implied.

 

Israeli perspective

On ABC TV “Breakfast” (Feb. 12), former Israeli military spokesperson Jonathan Conricus explained why Israelis might support Trump’s plan.

“What happened on October the 7th was a monstrous attack on Israel. And in the history of nations, in the history of war fighting, when you take that kind of action, when you as an entity, Gaza as an entity, when you take that kind of action, then you are making a bet. If you succeed, you conquer Israel, you kill the Jews and you establish a Sharia based country in what they call Palestine, my home Israel. But if you lose, there are consequences to pay.”

Even John Lyons understood this perspective – while exaggerating it – saying on ABC TV “News” (Feb. 5) “October 7 has traumatised Israel as a nation. The atrocities Hamas committed are unspeakable. And Israelis now, that’s seared into their mindset. And so, they want the buffer zone. They want no Palestinians, essentially. Many of them want no-one in Gaza, so there’s no threat.”

 

States of Confusion

On ABC RN “Saturday Extra” (Feb. 8), Georgetown University Qatar’s Mehran Kamrava said, “if there’s any silver lining to Trump’s announcement, it’s that it is out-of-the-box thinking.”

But Kamrava’s preferred proposal appeared to be an unachievable and unjust one-state solution “in which Israelis and Palestinians live side by side, under the same roof, in dignity and in peace.”

By contrast, the Atlantic Council’s Ahmed Al Khatib told ABC RN “Hour” (Feb. 5), the two-states for two-nations formula for peace remains the only vehicle for expressing the Palestinian people’s and the Jewish Israeli people’s “unique individual national identities.”

“We should never give up on the idea that there should be two separate spaces, regardless of how those spaces specifically look like and regardless of the demographics in and around them. There should be two distinct spaces for two distinct people. And for me, that is not only a fundamental pathway forward, but for many Palestinians… most Palestinians don’t believe in the one state solution. They want their own space to express their national heritage and identity.”

Meanwhile, on ABC RN “Religion and Ethics” (Feb. 12), discussing his new book The Holy and the Broken, Australian-Israeli journalist Ittay Flescher also promoted what appeared to be a one-state solution cum confederation. 

“I favour something called the land for all, a lot of people say, well, that’s a fantasy, but I think it’s no less a fantasy than what’s happening now, which is horrific… I want to give a platform to more voices that are calling for this land to be shared in a political structure that gives self-determination to two people but doesn’t have enforced separations and checkpoints and all of these sorts of things,” he said.

 

Samah Heat

In Nine Newspapers (Feb. 7), Palestinian-Australian writer Samah Sabawi wrote, “Israelis were clear about their genocidal intent” in Gaza and asked why it was necessary for Israel to drop 2,000 pound bombs on hospitals.

Later that day on ABC TV “Afternoon Agenda”, Sabawi said “somebody has to be accountable” for the destruction in Gaza. Of course she didn’t mean Hamas.

In a letter published by the Sydney Morning Herald (Feb. 8), AIJAC’s Jamie Hyams pointed out that Hamas was the only side with an intent to carry out genocide, citing its October 7 atrocities and public statements. 

“Israel’s intent was simply to prevent Hamas carrying out similar attacks, as it has repeatedly vowed it will,” Hyams wrote.

Furthermore, he said, Israel’s conduct in the war “proves its intent wasn’t genocidal, with Israeli forces repeatedly warning and evacuating civilians before attacking, even though this also gave terrorists the opportunity to escape. Israel even delayed its attack on Hamas’ final bastion in Rafah for months while it established a safe zone for civilians. It also facilitated the entry of more than 1.3 million tons of aid, and even arranged two rounds of polio vaccines. An army intent on genocide wouldn’t do any of this. Israel bombed civilian buildings solely because Hamas illegally embedded its military throughout them. It certainly never used 2,000-pound bombs on hospitals, as Sabawi claims.”

 

Surprising Surprise

On ABC TV “News” (Feb. 6), ANU’s Jesse Moritz claimed that Saudi Arabia’s emphatic rejection of Trump’s proposal was “surprising” because “they’ve been inching towards agreeing to a normalisation deal with Israel, which would have been a huge deal.” There was never any chance Saudi Arabia was going agree to Trump’s plan, despite its hopes for a normalisation deal. 

Moreover, as the Australian’s Henry Ergas wrote in his column (Feb. 14), giving Gazans new houses in safe areas will “cut no ice with Hamas, whose interests lie in perpetuating the misery that inflames the people of Gaza and ensures the flow of aid that finances its terrorist activities. Nor will it calm the Arab states and their allies…They didn’t have a critical word to say in 1991 when Kuwait, in retaliation for the Palestine Liberation Organisation’s endorsement of Iraq’s attempted annexation, brutally expelled 300,000 Palestinians, driving many into the desert.”

 

Good and bad

In the Australian (Feb. 6), AIJAC’s Colin Rubenstein discussed President Trump’s Gaza plan, saying that while some aspects of the plan remain unclear or are unworkable, there are also elements that are positive.

“The cycle of mindlessly pouring in aid for reconstructing Gazan homes after every war instigated by Hamas, while Hamas uses that aid to facilitate rebuilding tunnels, rockets and its other military infrastructure, must not be repeated,” Dr Rubenstein wrote.

He said the likelihood that 1.8 million Palestinians would “choose to leave willingly is almost certainly unrealistic, while the prospect of forcibly transferring them should be both legally and morally unthinkable.”

On Feb. 9, AIJAC’s Bren Carlill wrote in the Australian Financial Review, “There are serious concerns about the long-term effects that [President Trump’s] style and goals might have on American democracy and the international system… But… he is correct that the Western approach to solving the Israeli-Palestinian dispute has, for most of its existence, often been wrong-headed and even counter-productive… Certainly, it’s hard to imagine things being worse than the past 16 months.” 

 

What next?

Before Trump’s dramatic announcement, AIJAC analysts considered future policy directions needed regarding Gaza.

Earlier, in the West Australian (Jan. 28), Carlill called for a “de-nazification” program in Gaza, like what happened in Germany after WWII. He warned that “if the international community won’t enforce the conditions necessary for Gaza’s transformation, it is effectively guaranteeing more wars between Israel and Hamas.”

In the Australian (Jan. 28), Colin Rubenstein insisted that the ceasefires in place between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza are welcome, but Israel must be given the option of responding militarily if required.

 

Fringe dwellers

In Nine Newspapers (Feb. 5), United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Counter-terrorism Ben Saul wrote that under the Trump plan, “The US would simply replace Israel as the unlawful occupier of Gaza. If Trump is so concerned about peace, it is not clear why he believes a US occupation would bring that about when over half a century of Israeli occupation has brought perpetual war, death and misery to Palestinians and Israelis alike.”

Former Human Rights Watch Executive Director and Israel critic Ken Roth went into full-blown conspiracy mode in the Guardian Australia (Feb. 6), “Gaza in all likelihood would be only a first step…  the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem would surely follow. Even the so-called Arab population of Israel might not be exempt. Far from the ‘Free Palestine’ chants that are heard these days on college campuses, the area from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River might become Palestinian-free. That would allow Israel finally to accomplish its goal of being both a Jewish state and a democracy.”

 

Selective Justice

On ABC RN “Breakfast” (Feb. 6), UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese, who loves to prattle on about international law, was happy to disregard it when the program’s host pointed out that the International Court of Justice had not yet ruled if Israel had committed genocide in Gaza.

Albanese responded, “even if it was not that in January last year, the ICJ recognised the plausible risk of genocide. This should have been enough to trigger the responsibility of countries to intervene.

The Court never found that. As Court President Joan Donoghue explained to BBC TV last May, “The shorthand that often appears, which is that there’s a plausible case of genocide, isn’t what the Court decided.” It decided that the argument that Palestinians were entitled to make a case asking for protection under the genocide convention was “plausible”.

 

Who caused what?

On ABC NewsRadio (Feb. 6), writer Laila Haddad said, “Trump [was] representing an administration who was aiding and abetting the genocide of the Palestinians” and  “Netanyahu has stated… his intent, he made his intent very clear. And as we know, that’s what matters in cases of genocide or ethnic cleansing or crimes against humanity. His intent was to make Gaza unliveable.”

Haddad was spectacularly wrong. Donald Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden occupied the White House from the start of the war on October 7, 2023 till the implementation of the ceasefire the day before Trump was inaugurated, so Trump had nothing to do with “abetting” the Israeli war against Hamas. 

Moreover, Netanyahu has always consistently insisted Hamas’ terror infrastructure has been Israel’s target. He has never stated he plans to make Gaza “unliveable”. 

 

Hacked off

A report on the ceasefire by Shalailah Medhora on Triple J’s “Hack” (Jan. 30) said: “That ceasefire [is] meant to last for 42 days, and involves Hamas releasing 33 hostages in exchange for Israel releasing 1,900 political prisoners.”

It is incorrect to claim that all of the 1,900 Palestinian prisoners being released are “political prisoners”. The overwhelming majority of those being released have been convicted in a court of law for acts of violence, including murders, or membership in a listed terrorist organisation.

No other mainstream media organisation, including Al Jazeera, used such non-factual language in describing the prisoners to be released.

After AIJAC lodged a complaint, the ABC acknowledged the error in an editorial note on the “Hack” website.

 

Challenging misconceptions

On Sky News (Feb. 12), AIJAC’s Jamie Hyams challenged the claim made by some people, accusing “the Jewish community [of] say[ing] that any criticism of Israel is antisemitism.”

Hyams explained, “They try to paint us as the people who cried wolf, which makes antisemitism seem not so significant, because if everything’s antisemitism, then nothing’s antisemitism… it suggests that any of our criticism, any of our concerns about criticism of Israel is also illegitimate because we just hide behind antisemitism. So… it’s a kind of antisemitism in itself, because what it’s saying is that you Jews are so devious and so manipulative that you pretend everything’s racism against yourself to get away with stuff you shouldn’t get away with.”

 

Cosmetics Department

On ABC NewsRadio (Feb. 11), Washington-based Middle East analyst Laura Blumenfeld told host Sarah Morice that the Palestinian Authority (PA) had just said “They’re going to cancel a very controversial policy called Pay for Slay, where terrorists who were imprisoned in Israeli jails, having committed violent crimes, had families receiving subsidies from the Palestinian Authority.” Had Morice probed further, listeners might have understood that the PA’s move was only cosmetic, shifting the subsidy mechanism to a proxy. However, Morice not only declined to ask a follow-up question but seemed to be determined to sidestep the news that the PA has been subsidising terrorism, saying only, “That’s very interesting”, before hastily ending the interview.

 

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In Parliament

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (ALP, Grayndler) – Feb. 13 – “Antisemitism is a scourge. It’s opposed by anyone who is decent.”

Shadow Health Minister Senator Anne Ruston (Lib., SA) – Feb. 13 – “Yesterday, Australians were shocked and disgusted by the antisemitic threats made by nurses at Bankstown Hospital.” 

Senator Hollie Hughes (Lib., NSW) – Feb. 13 – “Stand with Jewish Australians—because the Holocaust… started with the actions that we’re seeing on the streets of Sydney.”

Shadow Assistant Foreign Minister Julian Leeser (Lib., Berowra) – Feb. 13 – Asking a question: “For the last 15 months, Jewish Australians have been subjected to harassment, doxxing, firebombing, death threats and terror plots. Today… NSW Health workers [are] calling for Israeli patients to be refused treatment, and claiming to have murdered Israelis.”

Anthony Albanese, responding: “This antisemitic video… is disgusting… It is very clear to me that these people have committed… crimes, and they should face the full force of the law.”

Shadow Attorney-General Senator Michaelia Cash (Lib., WA) – Feb. 12 – Asking a question, mentions the “utterly vile footage of two nurses… making despicable antisemitic death threats against Israeli patients.”

Foreign Minister Senator Penny Wong (ALP, SA), responding: “The footage is sickening…, shameful, and the comments… are vile. Antisemitism has no place in this country.”

Senator Nick McKim (Greens, Tas.) – Feb. 12 – “We should have… a strong, independent foreign policy that prioritises our national interests… That means an arms embargo on the genocidal government of Israel, sanctions on the genocidal war criminals leading the Israeli government and full self-determination for the people of Palestine, and… recognising Palestine.”

Senator Steph Hodgins-May (Greens, Vic.) – Feb. 11 – “Attacks on the Jewish community in recent months… are a disturbing escalation to the activity of neo-Nazi and far-right groups.”

Maria Vamvakinou (ALP, Calwell) – Feb. 10 – “I’ve been critical of… Israel… as anyone… who believes in human rights and international law should be… Those who seek to exploit antisemitism for their own interests… sow the seeds of hate and division.”

Senator Fatima Payman (Ind., WA) – Feb. 6 – Asking a question: “The Minister must admit how absurd Australia’s position is, as the Government claims to support a two-state solution but refuses to recognise Palestine.”

Senator Wong, responding: “A future Palestinian state must not be in a position to threaten Israel’s security. We see no role for Hamas in the future governance of Gaza or in the future Palestinian state and no role for terrorists. We need a reformed Palestinian Authority… Hamas must release all hostages, and issues such as Jerusalem and the final territory of a Palestinian state should be defined through negotiations.”

Deputy Greens Leader Senator Mehreen Faruqi (NSW) – Feb. 5 – “A ceasefire is not justice. Justice means self-determination and freedom for the Palestinian people so they never have to live under the yoke of Israel or imperial oppression ever again.”

Shadow Education Minister Senator Sarah Henderson (Lib., Vic) – Feb. 4 – “This is what it is: an ongoing campaign against Israel, which has fuelled antisemitic hate and division in our country… The hate and incitement on university campuses is out of control.”

Senator Dave Sharma (Lib., NSW) – Feb. 4 – “What have we seen in Australia these past 16 months?… A sustained campaign of harassment, intimidation and vitriol targeted at one specific Australian community in a way that… is unprecedented in our history.” 

Shadow Assistant Minister Senator Dean Smith (Lib., WA) – Feb. 4 – “We are witnessing the normalisation of antisemitic hate in Australia… indifference allows evil to flourish.”

Senator Jana Stewart (ALP, Vic) – Feb. 4 – “We have seen a devastating rise of antisemitism across the country and across the world, and that is entirely unacceptable.”