A Sydney area nurse was charged for threatening to kill Israeli patients in a viral video that created a massive uproar around the world, the New South Wales Police Force announced on Wednesday.
Twenty-six-year-old Bankstown Hospital nurse Sarah Abu Lebdeh was arrested on Tuesday and charged with threatening violence to a group, using a carriage service to threaten to kill, and using a carriage service to menace.
The Condell Park woman was granted conditional bail and is set to appear at the Downing Centre Local Court on March 19.
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said in a statement that the antisemitic task force had exhaustively investigated the incident, in which Abu Lebdeh wished a harsh death on Israeli influencer Max Veifer that she wouldn't treat Israeli patients but instead would "kill them."
“Strike Force Pearl detectives must be commended for acting swiftly under enormous pressure and public expectation,” Webb said of the antisemitism task force established in December to address rising antisemitic incidents in New South Wales. "These charges have been laid following a lot of hard work and legal advice, received yesterday from the Commonwealth DPP [Director of Public Prosecutions]."
Webb noted that the detectives had to overcome obstacles and jurisdictional challenges since their commended their investigation on February 12. The NSW police faced controversy when they had contacted Veifer for a full version of the video, but had allegedly not provided him with an email address to submit the content.
The full video showed Abu Lebdeh and a male nurse engaging in conversation with Veifer over a random video chat platform. When the other nurse discovered that Veifer was Israeli, he said that Veifer would eventually be killed and go to hell.
'Israeli s**t dogs'
Abu Lebdeh had laughed at her colleague’s remarks when he claimed “You have no idea how many Israeli s**t dogs came to this hospital, and I sent them to hell.”
The widespread circulation of the video drew remarks and outrage from senior Australian officials, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and New South Wales Health Minister Ryan Park.
Albanese had confirmed on February 12 that the nurses had been suspended from their positions at the hospital. On February 14, the Nursing and Midwifery Council of New South Wales suspended the nurses' registration which, according to Butler, meant “the two nurses are unable to practise nursing anywhere in Australia, in any context.”
Some Australian Jews expressed concerns about their safety in hospitals, and Jewish community leaders warned that the incident was indicative of a broader issue that had led to escalating antisemitic vandalism and arson in the country.
Israeli officials, including Knesset Members Sharren Haskel and Gilad Kariv, had called on the Australian government to act quickly in the face of such violent rhetoric.
Australian Muslim groups attacked the backlash last week, with joint statements by dozens of leading community groups saying that it was a disproportionate response created by double standards and manufactured moral panic to silence criticism about Israel.