7 OCT 2026The Bankstown Hospital Nurses Case
7 OCT 2026 
Fatwa declared against Israel
On 28 March 2025, the Committee for Ijtihad and Fatwa of the International Union of Muslim Scholars issued a fatwa concerning what it described as the ongoing aggression in Gaza and suspension of the ceasefire.
In IUMS's own English translation, the first ruling states: "it is obligatory for all Muslims and Muslim nations to engage in jihad against the Zionist entity and all those collaborating with it in the occupied land—be they mercenaries or soldiers from any nation. Military intervention, as well as supplying the mujahideen with weapons, expertise, and intelligence, is a binding duty... Jihad against the occupation is an individual obligation (fard 'ayn) upon every capable Muslim."
Other rulings in the same fatwa:
- Apostasy: anyone who supplies the "Zionist entity" with goods "out of love for the Zionist enemy and with the intention of weakening the resistance is an apostate from Islam", citing the verse "do not take the Jews and the Christians as allies" (ruling 3).
- Funding fighters: "Financial jihad is an obligation upon every capable Muslim. Wealthy Muslims must spend from their own wealth... to equip the mujahideen"; "Every effort must be made to deliver financial support to the resistance and to care for the families of fighters" (ruling 6).
- Scholars: it is "a religious obligation upon scholars... to call for jihad against the occupying enemy by all available means" (ruling 8).
- Governments: Muslim and Arab states must form "a unified military alliance" (ruling 4), and if governments block aid to Gaza "they must be defied" (ruling 12).
The fatwa also calls for boycotts and an end to normalisation, and closes by thanking those who support Gaza, "including some Jewish voices of conscience" (ruling 15). In Australia, Hamas has been listed in full as a terrorist organisation since 4 March 2022.
The Arabic version published on the IUMS website lists the participating committee members, the third of whom is "Sheikh Ibrahim Abu Mohammed – member". IUMS has since removed that page, but an archived copy was taken on 26 November 2025. Elsewhere on its website, IUMS describes Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohammed as the Grand Mufti of Australia, elected in 2011.
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7 OCT 2026 United Muslim Community Statement
In February 2025 a coalition of Muslim organisations and community leaders issued a joint statement about the reaction to a video in which two Bankstown Hospital nurses, Ahmad Rashad Nadir and Sarah Abu Lebdeh, said they would refuse to treat, and threatened to kill, Israeli patients. The statement said the response showed "selective outrage" (ABC). It also said: "We affirm that all forms of discrimination based on race and religion are unacceptable, and that healthcare should be provided justly to all."
The statement said: "This statement is not about defending inappropriate remarks. It is about pushing back against the double standards and moral manipulation at play while the mass killing of our brothers and sisters in Gaza is met with silence, dismissal, or complicity" (Guardian). It also said: "The frustration and anger directed at Israel is a direct response to its violent and inhumane policies — not an expression of hatred toward Jewish people" (ABC). It called the nurses' remarks "emotional and hyperbolic".
Named signatories included the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils; the Islamic Councils of Victoria and Western Australia; The Muslim Vote; Muslim Votes Matter; Hizb ut-Tahrir Australia; and the Al Madina Dawah Centre and its founder Wissam Haddad (Guardian; ABC; SMH). Lebanese Muslim Association secretary Gamel Kheir signed in his own name (Daily Telegraph, 19 February 2025). The ABC reported that the United Muslims of Australia, the Australian National Imams Council and the Lebanese Muslim Association were not listed as signatories.
Albanese said of the nurses: "What they deserve is the condemnation that they've gotten." NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said "we need to unite against hatred and these comments are divisive and unwelcome" (ABC).
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7 OCT 2026 Sheikh Wesam Charkawi ordered to work from home
Sheikh Wesam Charkawi is a student learning support officer at Granville Boys High School and a convener of The Muslim Vote. On 16 February 2025 he posted a video responding to the Bankstown nurses controversy. In it he said the nurses' comments were "never meant to be literal or intended to be a threat to patient care" and accused politicians of "selective moral outrage" (ABC, 24 Feb). He was also a signatory to the joint community statement (Guardian, 28 Feb).
At a meeting on 18 February the NSW Department of Education asked him to remove the posts from TikTok and Instagram. The Guardian reported that he refused and was asked to work from home, while the SMH reported he was told to "temporarily work from an alternate location". On 24 February the department directed him to remove the posts by 26 February. Separately, a joint letter from Premier's Department secretary Simon Draper and Public Service Commissioner Kathrina Lo told public servants: "You have a duty to uphold the reputation of your department and the government sector as apolitical, impartial and professional."
Students protested at the school on 26 and 27 February. After a meeting on 27 February he returned to work on 28 February. The department said: "Following meetings with senior officials, Mr Charkawi has been cleared by the department to return to work as a school learning support officer. He has been counselled over his actions and reminded of his obligations as a department employee. Mr Charkawi has removed the social media video and agreed to adhere to the Code of Ethics and Conduct."
His lawyer, Majed Kheir, said his client "maintains that his post has not breached the social media policy and that he has not done anything wrong" (ABC, 28 Feb).
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7 OCT 2026 Australia recognises the State of Palestine
On 11 August 2025, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced that "Australia will recognise the State of Palestine at the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in September". They said the decision was "predicated on the commitments we have received from the Palestinian Authority".
On 21 September 2025, a joint statement said: "Effective today, Sunday the 21st of September 2025, the Commonwealth of Australia formally recognises the independent and sovereign State of Palestine." The statement said this was done "alongside Canada and the United Kingdom". It also said: "The terrorist organisation Hamas must have no role in Palestine." It added that further steps, including diplomatic relations and embassies, "will be considered as the Palestinian Authority makes progress on its commitments to reform." At a press conference at UN headquarters, Senator Wong said government documents and systems would now refer to "the State of Palestine, or Palestine, rather than the OPTs".
At home, the Coalition objected. Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and foreign affairs spokesperson Michaelia Cash said in a joint statement: "Recognition must come at the end of a peace process, not during the conflict." ABC reported that Australia's position put it at odds with the United States, and that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticised the countries recognising Palestine.
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7 OCT 2026 Iran’s ambassador expelled over attacks in Australia
On 26 August 2025, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: "ASIO has gathered enough credible intelligence to reach a deeply disturbing conclusion - that the Iranian Government directed at least two of these attacks." The two attacks were the arson of Lewis' Continental Kitchen in Sydney on 20 October 2024 and of the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne on 6 December 2024. ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess said Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) "used a complex web of proxies to hide its involvement". He said "the Embassy was not involved" and that "some of the alleged perpetrators did this because they were paid to do it."
The government expelled Iran's ambassador. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said: "we have declared Iran's Ambassador to Australia persona non grata, as well as three other Iranian officials and they will have seven days to leave the country. This is the first time in the post-war period that Australia has expelled an ambassador." ABC named the ambassador as Ahmad Sadeghi. Australia suspended operations at its embassy in Tehran and moved its diplomats to a third country. ABC reported that Iran's foreign ministry called the move "an assault on diplomacy".
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said: "It's true that no one was injured in these attacks, it is not true that no one was harmed." On 27 November 2025, under the new Criminal Code Amendment (State Sponsors of Terrorism) Act 2025, the government listed the IRGC as a state sponsor of terrorism. It was the first listing under that framework, with penalties of up to 25 years' imprisonment.
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7 OCT 2026 Dural caravan ‘terror plot’
NOTE: Police first treated this as a possible terror plot and later said it was a fabricated plot set up by organised criminals. Both stages are documented below.
On 19 January 2025, a caravan was found in Dural, in Sydney's north-west, containing power gel explosives along with a document with antisemitic material and a list of targets. ABC reported that police said the explosives could have caused a "mass casualty event" with a blast zone of more than 40 metres, although no detonator was found. The discovery became public 10 days later, after it was leaked to a Sydney newspaper. NSW Premier Chris Minns said: "This is the discovery of a potential mass casualty event. There's only one way of calling it out and that is terrorism." Asked on ABC Radio Sydney whether he agreed, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: "I certainly do," and added that "it hasn't been designated yet by the NSW Police". ASIO said it did "not believe there is an ongoing threat to public safety".
On 10 March 2025, AFP Deputy Commissioner Krissy Barrett said the caravan "was never going to cause a mass casualty event but instead was concocted by criminals who wanted to cause fear for personal benefit." She said that "almost immediately" Joint Counter Terrorism Team investigators believed it was "a fabricated terrorism plot – essentially a criminal con job". She cited "how easily the caravan was found and how visible the explosives were", and the fact that "there was no detonator". She said: "We believe the person pulling the strings wanted changes to their criminal status." She also said the scheme "has had a chilling effect on the Jewish community." NSW Deputy Commissioner David Hudson said the Strike Force Pearl incidents and the caravan "are all being orchestrated by the same individuals". He also said none of those arrested under Strike Force Pearl "have displayed any form of antisemitic ideology".
In May 2025, Sayit Akca, whom the Guardian described as the alleged mastermind, told ABC's Four Corners: "I actually picked Dural". He said he had the caravan moved and told the AFP in order to gain lenient treatment, and he denied the wider allegations. The AFP said he had been charged over an alleged drug importation and was accused of leaving Australia while on bail. NSW Police said some people connected to the investigation had been charged.
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7 OCT 2026 New Orleans truck attack
The FBI said that at about 3:15am CST on 1 January 2025, "an individual drove a pickup truck into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street in New Orleans". It identified him as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, "a U.S. citizen from Texas", said "An ISIS flag was located in the vehicle" and said it was investigating the attack "as an act of terrorism". On 3 January, the FBI and ATF said "Fourteen innocent people were killed in the attack" and that 35 injured people had been identified. They said New Orleans police "shot and killed Jabbar after he opened fire on them and the crowd". According to the FBI, Jabbar planted two improvised explosive devices on Bourbon Street and intended to detonate them with a transmitter found in the truck. ATF found that he had also set a fire at a rental home on Mandeville Street in an effort to destroy evidence.
Early reports differed on the death toll. On the day, the ABC reported at least 15 dead, and the FBI's first statement said "at least 10". The FBI's later figure was 14 victims. The SMH quoted FBI official Christopher Raia saying Jabbar was "100 per cent inspired by ISIS".
DFAT told the ABC that "no Australians were known to be involved", and that the Australian Embassy in Washington and the Consulate-General in Houston were engaging with US authorities. The SMH reported that Australian security experts called the attack a "wake-up call", noting that ASIO had raised the national terrorism threat level to "probable" in August 2024.
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7 OCT 2026 Manchester synagogue attack
On the morning of 2 October 2025, Yom Kippur, Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, drove a car at people outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall, Manchester, and then attacked with a knife. Counter Terrorism Policing said he "deliberately drove the car at innocent members of the public before colliding with a wall", and that he was wearing "a hoax device" that was "confirmed to be a non-viable device". Police said that thanks to "the bravery of security staff, worshippers and the fast action of police, the attacker was prevented from gaining access to the synagogue." Al-Shamie was shot dead by police. Two worshippers, Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, were killed. Police said Mr Daulby was struck by police gunfire "as a tragic and unforeseen consequence" while helping hold the synagogue doors shut. Three other men were seriously injured.
Police said Al-Shamie "called 999 claiming responsibility for the attack. He also pledged allegiance to Islamic State." They also said he "had never been referred to the PREVENT programme, nor was otherwise known to Counter Terrorism Policing." On 20 August 2026, police charged a man with failing to disclose information about terrorist activity in connection with the attack.
SBS reported that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: "I send my condolences to the people of Manchester after the heinous attack on a synagogue on the most sacred day on the Jewish calendar." He also said: "There is no place for terrorism in our streets." Opposition Leader Sussan Ley also condemned the attack.
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Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps listed as a state sponsor of terrorism
On 27 November 2025 the Australian Government listed Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a state sponsor of terrorism. It was the first listing under the Criminal Code Amendment (State Sponsors of Terrorism) Act 2025, passed earlier that month.
The listing followed ASIO's assessment that the IRGC orchestrated the attacks on Lewis' Continental Kitchen in Sydney in October 2024 and the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne in December 2024. In August 2025 Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess had revealed Iran was behind the attacks, and the Government expelled Iran's ambassador.
Under Part 5.3A of the Criminal Code it is now an offence to direct the activities of, be a member of, associate with members of, recruit for, train with, fund or provide support to the IRGC, with penalties of up to 25 years' imprisonment. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said: "Iran's attacks were unprecedented and dangerous acts of aggression orchestrated by a foreign nation on Australian soil." Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the listing "further empowers our police, security and intelligence agencies to stamp out hatred and violence."
Iran's foreign ministry called the listing "illegal, unjustifiable, and in violation of international rules and norms" (SBS).
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NSW inquiry into right-wing extremism
On 8 November 2025 about 60 members of the neo-Nazi National Socialist Network rallied on the steps of NSW Parliament in Sydney, chanting Nazi slogans behind a banner reading "Abolish the Jewish Lobby". NSW Police had authorised the protest; Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon blamed a "breakdown in communication" and ordered a review. Premier Chris Minns called it a "shocking display of hatred and racism and anti-Semitism" (SBS).
Eleven days later, on 19 November 2025, the NSW Government introduced the Crimes and Summary Offences Amendment Bill 2025 (Nazi symbols and conduct) and Parliament referred it, together with an inquiry into "measures to combat right-wing extremism in New South Wales", to the Legislative Assembly Committee on Law and Safety. The terms of reference covered right-wing extremism only. The Committee reported on the bill on 6 February 2026, heard about 50 witnesses on 18 and 19 February 2026, and tabled its final report, with 12 recommendations, on 23 April 2026. The government's response is due on 23 October 2026.
In its submission the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies said "any government investigation should examine all forms of extremism - including Islamic and left-wing - and not focus solely on right-wing extremism", adding that "to investigate strategies or laws which focus solely on one type of extremism is to ignore other types of extremism" (Submission 37). At the hearing on 18 February the Australian National Imams Council's Bilal Rauf said "effective prevention should address all forms of extremism", naming "Hindutva and Zionist ethno-supremist or -nationalist movements" as needing attention alongside neo-Nazis; Australian Federation of Islamic Councils board member Keysar Trad warned that "criminalising language" could turn "political expression by law-abiding, non-violent citizens into a crime" (hearing transcript; ABC). The final report does not respond to the request to widen the scope. It mentions the Bondi Beach terror attack of 14 December 2025 in one paragraph: "Although not an attack by right-wing extremists, the shooting demonstrated the Jewish community's particular vulnerability to extremist violence".
No equivalent inquiry has been held into Islamist radicalisation. The federal Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security began an inquiry into extremist movements and radicalism, covering both Islamist and far-right extremism, in December 2020; it tabled only an interim report before lapsing at the April 2022 election, and the government agreed in September 2022 to refer it again. In a September 2026 interview, ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess said: "We have an Islamic extremism problem in this country. That is true. It is not growing, but it's still a problem. It represents about 70% of my organisation's caseload."
More sources:
- sbs.com.au - Police authorisation of Sydney neo-Nazi demonstration sparks calls for protest law review
- abc.net.au - Solutions to stop people being radicalised raised at NSW inquiry into right-wing extremism (18 Feb 2026)
- parliament.nsw.gov.au - Hearing transcript (18 Feb 2026)
- parliament.nsw.gov.au - Interim report (6 Feb 2026)
- parliament.nsw.gov.au - Final report (23 Apr 2026)
- aph.gov.au - PJCIS inquiry into extremist movements and radicalism, terms of reference
- homeaffairs.gov.au - Government response to the PJCIS interim report (Sept 2022)
- youtube.com - Mike Burgess interview (17 Sep 2026)
Introduction
On the night shift at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital, in Sydney's south-west, two registered nurses in NSW Health uniforms opened a random video chat.
The app was Chatruletka, which pairs strangers at random. On the other end of the call was an Israeli content creator, Max Veifer, who posted an edited clip of the conversation on the morning of 12 February 2025.
In the clip, Sarah Abu Lebdeh tells him: "It's Palestine's country, not your country, you piece of shit." She says that when his time comes she wants him to remember her face, so he will understand he will die "the most disgusting death." Asked what she would do if an Israeli patient came into the hospital, she says: "I won't treat them. I will kill them."
Ahmad Rashad Nadir tells Veifer he is going to get killed and go to Jahannam, hell. He says Veifer has no idea how many Israelis have come to that hospital, and that he has sent them to hell. On camera he draws a hand across his throat. He introduces himself as a doctor, but he was in fact a nurse.
The longer cut
Two days later Veifer released a longer version. Police said they had not yet been handed an unedited file directly from him. In the longer cut the exchange continues: Abu Lebdeh repeats that she will not treat them, she will kill them, and Nadir nods. When she is asked whether that extends to Jewish people, the published cut ends.
NSW Health and NSW Police later said there was no evidence that any patient at Bankstown Hospital had been harmed.
What the pair said afterwards
Nadir's solicitor, Mohamad Sakr, said his client had sent a sincere apology to Veifer and to the Jewish community. Abu Lebdeh's uncle told The Australian she was sorry for the remarks. Sky News reported that Nadir told a journalist from The Australian it was a joke and a misunderstanding, and that he had not meant to offend. On the night of 13 February, police were called to Nadir's home over a concern for his welfare, and he was taken to hospital for assessment. He was 27 and she was 26.
Government Response
Stood down the same morning
Health Minister Ryan Park said he learned of the video early on 12 February: "At about 7.20 this morning, I was informed and made aware of one of the most vile, shocking and appalling videos I have ever seen." By mid-morning both nurses had been stood down, and the matter had been referred to NSW Police.
Park said the two nurses subject to the investigation "will not ever be working for New South Wales Health again." Premier Chris Minns said anyone who walks into an emergency department or onto a ward in NSW will be treated by people who care about them, and called for an ironclad investigation.
Later that day Park said: "What these two individuals have done is destroyed confidence in our health system", and: "I don't care whether they thought it was a joke." NSW Health Secretary Susan Pearce said: "Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would be standing here with two staff of the New South Wales Health System having said such horrendous things".
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the video disgusting and the comments vile. "The footage is sickening and shameful," he said. "These anti-Semitic comments, driven by hate, have no place in our health system and no place anywhere in Australia." Bankstown MP Tony Burke and federal Health Minister Mark Butler put out a joint line to the same effect.
The Opposition used its first question in federal Question Time that afternoon on the video. Albanese told the House the footage was "disgusting, sickening and shameful", that the two nurses had been stood down and referred to NSW Police for criminal investigation, and that it was "clear" they had committed crimes.
Registrations suspended
The next day, 13 February 2025, the Nursing and Midwifery Council of NSW suspended both registrations, effective that day. The Council said it had acted to protect the health and safety of the public and to maintain confidence in the profession. Ahpra updated the public register. From then the pair could not practise nursing anywhere in Australia, in any context.
Mark Butler, speaking as federal Health Minister, said Australians have a right to feel safe wherever they go, and that nowhere should be safer than a hospital. The Council said it could not release its reasons. The nurses had a right of appeal to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
A rapid review of patient-safety incidents at Bankstown over the previous year found nothing that set the hospital apart from others, although Park said the detailed work had only just begun. Strike Force Pearl, the police operation already running on antisemitic incidents, took over the hospital inquiry. Detectives interviewed staff, established where the video was filmed and seized CCTV.
The charges
On 26 February 2025 Sarah Abu Lebdeh was charged with three offences: threatening violence to a group, using a carriage service to threaten to kill, and using a carriage service to harass or cause offence. She was bailed, barred from social media, and barred from leaving the country.
On 4 March 2025 Ahmad Rashad Nadir was charged with using a carriage service to menace, harass or offend, and with possessing a prohibited drug. He was bailed to the same March court date.
Police Commissioner Karen Webb said the overseas witness had made the investigation harder, and that detectives had moved under enormous public pressure. Authorities repeated that there was no evidence the pair had harmed a patient.
In September 2025 prosecutors dropped the threat-to-kill charge against Abu Lebdeh, but the other charges remained. On 2 February 2026 both pleaded not guilty in the NSW District Court.
The video goes out, then comes back
Their lawyers argued the call had been recorded without consent, and that NSW law on private conversations kept it out of the courtroom. On 23 June 2026 Judge Michael McHugh agreed and excluded the video and the other recordings from both trials.
The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions appealed. On 31 July 2026 the NSW Supreme Court set that ruling aside and allowed the unedited recording to be used. At the time of the first reports, the court had not published its full reasons.
The trial was moved and is listed to begin on 12 October 2026. No verdict has been reached, and a jury has not yet been asked to decide.
First, condemnation
In the days after the clip, Muslim leaders and community bodies condemned the words themselves.
Imam Syed Wadood Janud of Perth's Nasir Mosque said the remarks were factually contradictory to what Islam teaches about the afterlife, and that "such vile remarks have no place in our faith." Imam Kamran Tahir of Adelaide's Mahmood Mosque said service to mankind is the essence of Islam. Twenty-four Hazara community organisations called the alleged threats abhorrent. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Perth said the comments contradicted the teachings. Queensland Muslim leader Ali Kadri called them vile, and said concern about Gaza was not an excuse.
On the street in Bankstown
In the days after the clip, television crews asked people in Bankstown what they made of it. Many condemned it. One man told a reporter that people put their trust in the public health system, and that the comments deserved a full investigation. Another said that for nurses to joke like that was "not funny."
Some called it a joke. A Bankstown cafe owner told a reporter it was probably a prank, though he said nurses should be educated enough not to say such things. Another man said they had lost their jobs "for a little joke."
Not everyone condemned it. Asked by Sky News, one man said: "They have a free right to say whatever they want." He said: "I stand with them." When the reporter put it to him that someone had threatened to kill and not treat a Jewish patient, he answered: "And what about all the kids that Jews have killed?"
The LMA secretary on air
Before the statement was published, Lebanese Muslim Association secretary Gamel Kheir was interviewed by Laura Jayes on Sky News. He said: "we condemn such hate speech but I will not condemn the individuals." He said condemning them personally "serves no purpose other than to isolate them", and asked: "Has anyone checked on their mental health?" He said it did not help "when we have politicians and the media making political mileage out of such events."
He compared the nurses to Sam Kerr. Of her, he said: "do we condemn her. No we don't."
Jayes played footage of a speaker at Lakemba on 8 October 2023 saying: "It's a day of courage. It's a day of pride. It's a day of victory." Kheir said: "That statement unedited was a support for the resistance". He said he had no tolerance for antisemitism, Islamophobia or "any form of racism or vilification", and that this was the belief of "99.9% of the Muslim community".
Kheir later signed the statement in his own name.
Then a different letter
On Sunday 16 February 2025 a document titled United Muslim Community Statement was posted on Instagram by The Muslim Vote, and shared by Stand 4 Palestine Australia. Its cover line was: "We condemn the hypocrisy over nurses controversy."
The statement opens on the date. "On Wednesday, 12 February 2025, Israeli content creator Max Veifer posted an edited snippet of a video conversation with two nurses from Bankstown Hospital." It says the outrage was amplified by a coordinated media campaign. It says Veifer is a recently serving member of the Israeli military, "and was thus involved in the genocide of the people of Gaza."
It affirms that discrimination on race and religion is unacceptable, and that healthcare should be provided justly to all. It says the statement is not about defending inappropriate remarks.
It then says: "The most revealing aspect of the reaction to the nurses' video is not the video itself — but the speed, intensity, and uniformity of response from certain political leaders and media outlets." It names the Prime Minister. It says the NSW Health Minister declared the clip the most vile thing he had ever seen. It calls that response "calculated, politically motivated outrage" and "the deliberate engineering of public morality."
In the NSW Legislative Council it was described as "signed by more than 70 organisations and community leaders". Among the organisations: the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, the Islamic Council of Victoria, the Islamic Council of Western Australia, Hizb ut-Tahrir Australia, The Muslim Vote, and the Al Madina Dawah Centre. Among the individuals: Muslim Vote candidates Ziad Basyouny and Ahmed Ouf, Lebanese Muslim Association secretary Gamel Kheir, and Sheikh Ibrahim Dadoun.
Three peak bodies were not on the list as organisations: the Australian National Imams Council, the United Muslims of Australia and the Lebanese Muslim Association. Kheir and Dadoun signed in their own names, but their organisations did not.
The man who did not sign
Dr Jamal Rifi did not sign.
Rifi is a general practitioner in Belmore, in the same part of Sydney, and a long-standing Lebanese Australian community figure. He told the ABC he was shocked. "No health practitioner should ever treat anyone differently based on their religion, culture or nationality. We treat them as human beings." He said the incident had tainted the community, and that people were waiting to use it against everyone else.
Days earlier, on Sky News with Chris Kenny, he said: "It is abhorrent of what they have done", and "there is no excuses for it whatsoever." He said: "These two people do not represent the view that is held in the Muslims community." He said they "should be investigated", because "these views should not be held in any health system".
Kadri, the Perth and Adelaide imams and the Hazara organisations had already condemned the words on the video. The letter condemned the reaction to them, while Rifi condemned the conduct.
What Parliament did with the letter
On 19 February 2025, in the NSW Legislative Council, Liberal MLC Taylor Martin asked the Treasurer whether any signatories had received NSW Government grant funding in the past two years. He described the statement as "signed by more than 70 organisations and community leaders". The President ruled the question out of order, because a motion on the same subject was listed for debate that day.
That evening, Liberal MLC Jacqui Munro moved a motion that condemned the statement and called on the Government to review any funding to its signatories, and to revoke funding for organisations that supported its views. The Government, through Minister Rose Jackson, amended the motion to remove the funding paragraphs. In their place, the House "rejects the United Muslim Community statement of 17 February 2025" and rejects "the statement's criticisms, including that the speed, intensity and uniformity of the media coverage and the political response to the incident amount to "selective outrage" and the "weaponisation of antisemitism"". The amendment passed 17 votes to 12, and the motion as amended was agreed to.
Jackson told the House: "The accusation that the Prime Minister and the Minister for Health were acting with selective outrage for political convenience is outrageous. It is simply not true and is a slur on them."
On 26 February 2025, a printout of the statement and its list of signatories was tabled in the Legislative Council by Liberal MLC Chris Rath.
Coalition senator James Paterson called the list of signatories alarming, and raised the public funding of organisations linked to some of the names.
Summary
Two Bankstown Hospital nurses, in uniform and on shift, told an Israeli man on a random video chat that they would not treat Israeli patients and would kill them. One said he had already sent Israelis who came through that hospital to hell. The clip was posted on 12 February 2025.
They were stood down the same morning, and their registrations were suspended the next day. The Health Minister said they would never work for NSW Health again. Police found no evidence that a patient had been harmed. Both were charged and have pleaded not guilty. A judge excluded the video, but a higher court allowed it back in. The trial has not yet started.
On the street in Bankstown, most people interviewed condemned the video, though some called it a joke and one man said: "I stand with them." On air, the Lebanese Muslim Association's secretary condemned the speech but would not condemn the nurses.
Within four days, a statement in the name of a united Muslim community condemned the speed and uniformity of the official response, calling it the deliberate engineering of public morality. Peak Islamic councils and Hizb ut-Tahrir signed it. The imams' council did not, and neither did Dr Jamal Rifi, who condemned the nurses.
The recording and the statement are attached. The suspension notice is a public document.
You be the judge.
