A pair of nurses working at a hospital in Sydney, Australia made big news last week when they suggested to a stranger in an online conversation that they would kill Israeli patients who were under their care. The person on the other end of the chat is an Israeli content creator named Max Veifer. Veifer uses a website which randomly connects strangers to have video chats from different parts of the world. He then posts the content on his TikTok account.

The two nurses were quickly identified as Ahmad Rashad Nadir and Sarah Abu Lebdeh. Lebdeh was born in Australia and Nadir immigrated from Afghanistan when he was 12 years old. Both were quickly condemned by everyone up to and including the Prime Minister of Austraila. 

Since last week there have been a few new developments. First, health care workers at the hospital in question held a rally to make it clear they do not support or allow discrimination against anyone being treated there. 

As mentioned in that clip, both of the nurses involved have retained attorneys and Nadir apologized through his attorney for the comments made in the video.

Mohamad Sakr, a solicitor representing Nadir, said on Wednesday his client had sincerely apologised to the individual in question and the broader Jewish community.

“He understands what has happened, he is trying to make amends,” Sakr said.

Rayan Kadadi, a solicitor representing Abu Lebdeh, said in a statement: “As you can all appreciate this is a very emotional and distressing time for my client and her family.”

As for Sarah Abu Lebdeh, her uncle said she was sorry but her brother claimed she'd been set up.

A man who identified himself as her uncle told The Australian on Wednesday that Sarah was “sorry” for her remarks.

“You can’t talk to her now because she’s having a panic attack. We might be calling the ambulance for her.”...

However, another man, who identified himself as Sarah’s brother, said the video of his sister had been edited and that she had essentially been pushed into making her horrific comments.

“That video was a set up. You can see that it’s edited. You can see the jump cuts.

“Sarah said those things but she was pushed. She was baited.”

Mohammed claimed 70 family members had been lost in Palestine which he claimed she had explained on the video.

The original clip released by Max Veifer had been edited. Local police have been in contact with Veifer who agreed to release an unedited version of the call. It's only a bit longer than the original and doesn't change the tone much. 

Also, sometime last Thursday night an ambulance was called, but not for Abu Lebdeh. Instead an ambulance was sent to Nadir's house and he was apparently brought to a hospital for treatment after his home was raided by police earlier in the day. So far neither nurse has been arrested or charged with anything.

Some prominent Muslim groups have criticized the reaction to the video in a letter published yesterday.

The coalition of Muslim groups said in a statement on Sunday the “speed, intensity and uniformity of responses from certain political leaders and media outlets” was “revealing”.

They said the same voices that condemned the nurses had “provided active diplomatic and journalistic cover for ongoing crimes by the Zionists”.

The coalition 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.”...

The coalition of Muslim groups also attacked what they described as the “weaponisation” of antisemitism, saying criticism of and “frustrations” with Israel should not be conflated with hatred towards the Jewish community.

I don't see how weaponization of anti-Semitism applies here. The two nurses were talking to an Israeli about how they would not treat/murder any Israeli who turned up. In this context it seems national identity is pretty clearly being used as a proxy for Jewish identity since no particular outlook on Israel or current events is relevant when someone turns up to a hospital. The old I was talking about Zionists not Jews trick doesn't fit here.

Meanwhile a midwife who works in Sydney is back in the news because she says she warned hospital administrators about anti-Semitism among nurses in New South Wales more than a year ago.

Sharon Stoliar said that she warned hospital bosses about medical staff making inappropriate and racist remarks following the October 7 Hamas attacks.

Stoliar apparently filed formal complaints about colleagues' behaviour, particularly in the wake of widespread protests held by health workers across Australia calling for a ceasefire in Gaza...

“I raised the alarm not long after October 7 happened, when nurses and midwives were chanting ‘From the river to the sea’ while wearing NSW Health uniforms,” Stoliar claimed in a video posted to Instagram.

“I wrote an open letter to nurses and midwives, explaining that this chant is a call for the annihilation of Jews, and that they should not be shouting this genocidal chant, let alone while wearing NSW Health uniforms. I also had meetings with AHPRA (Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency) to push for action.”

In response to her comments, she had 8 grievances filed against her which called for her to lose her medical license. Most were dropped but two prompted a further investigation which led to comments being placed in her file without her knowledge. She was even threatened with jail time though she was eventually found innocent of any charges.

Finally, Autralia's opposition leader suggested this incident should prompt a national conversation about immigration.

A video of two nurses claiming they would kill Israeli patients shows the need for a "national conversation" on migration and citizenship, Opposition leader Peter Dutton says...

"When we have somebody like this who gets through the net, obviously has breached his obligation about a loyalty to our country when he became an Australian citizen, and yet he has the ability to stay in our country, it should be of deep concern to every Australian," Dutton told 2GB radio on Thursday.

Labor politicians claimed Dutton was hijacking the conversation:

Labor cabinet minister Anne Aly accused Dutton of "hijacking" a conversation about antisemitic hatred.

"I'm a bit angry that this conversation about antisemitism has been conveniently turned into a conversation about immigration. As if somehow, the two are connected," Aly told ABC TV.

I don't think you can say the two aren't connected at all though, as mentioned above, one of the nurses in question was born in Australia.