In a shocking incident, two New South Wales (NSW) health workers threatened to refuse treatment and kill any Israeli patients coming to their hospital for treatment. A video showing the two health workers, said to be employed at Bankstown Hospital in Sydney, making the blatantly hateful and anti-semitic remarks went viral on social media. The two health workers have reportedly been identified as Ahmad Rashad Nadir, a refugee from Afghanistan, and Sarah Abu Lebdeh. They were suspended after the video attracted widespread criticism.
Australian Health Minister orders investigation
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the incident calling it ‘sickening and shameful’. Responding to the video, Health Minister Ryan Park described the behaviour of the health workers as ‘vile, disgusting and appalling’. “The whole video, from the start to finish, is a concern to me…the fact that they chose to do this in uniform, that they chose to do this while they should have been caring for patients, “ Park said on Wednesday.
Apologising to the Jewish community, Park assured that the community would continue to get first-class care in Australian hospitals. The Health Minister ordered an investigation into the matter to be conducted by the NSW Complaints Commission and assured that anti-semitic views have no place in the country’s health system.
“Obviously, investigative process now takes place. I don’t want to leave a sliver, a sliver of light to allow any of them to be able to think that they will ever work for New South Wales Health again,” Park said.
“There is no place in our hospital and health system for this sort of view to ever, ever take place. There is no place for this sort of perspective in our society, but hospitals are different in the fact that every single Australian and every single resident of this state should be able to go to their local hospital when they need care and attention and get high-quality care that is safe and effective, “ he added.
What is the whole incident?
As per reports, the controversial video in which the two health workers are expressing their antisemitic, hateful views and expressing a desire to let Israelis die without healthcare was posted by an Israeli influencer named Max Veifer on Instagram. Veifer came across Nadir and Lebdeh on an app called Chatruletka, which randomly connects users over video chats.
In the video, Nadir and Lebdeh dressed in scrubs with NSW Health insignia can be seen telling Veifer that any Israeli patient coming to them will be killed. Nadir, after coming to know that Veifer was from Israel, first praised him for having beautiful eyes and then said that he would go to hell for being Israeli.
“I am going to be really honest with you…I am so upset you’re Israeli. Eventually, you’re going to be killed and go to Jahannam (Hell), “ said Nadir.
Then Lebdeh entered the frame and said, “It’s Palestine country, not your country, your piece of shit.” Aggressively cursing Veifer, Lebdeh said, “When your time comes, I want you to remember my face so you can understand you will die the most disgusting death.”
When Veifer asked them what they would do if an Israeli patient came to them, Lebdeh replied, “I won’t treat them, I will kill them”. Nadir boasted that he had already sent many Israeli patients to Jahannam. “You have no idea how many (Israelis) came to this hospital, and I sent them to Jahannam. I literally sent them to Jahannam,” he said.
