By Rav Hayim Leiter, JNS
Hate-filled actors in Gaza and Australia show their true colors, and it’s causing a shift in public opinion.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that the last few weeks have been some of the most difficult since the trauma of the terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7. 2023. For a split second, it seemed like the anti-Israel news cycle might calm down—and it felt like we were finally going to get a bit of a breather. But then the hostage swaps began.
These exchanges shifted in nature when the terrorists could no longer parade our kidnapped civilians around, draped in green fatigues, as if they were captured soldiers. Much to our dismay, the remaining hostages would be lifeless bodies.
Originally, Hamas had agreed to return the bodies of the Bibas family without the terrorists’ usual fanfare. In the end, what they did was worse than anything we’d seen before. Three black coffins were paraded through cheering and dancing crowds of Gazan adults and children alike. This spectacle—and the news that followed—tore at the soul of the Jewish people and anyone with any shred of human decency.
The tragedy of the Bibas family, however, has altered public opinion on the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Just before this hostage swap, a story made headlines from Australia. Two nurses—one male and one female—who were passing the time on their shift happened upon an Israeli gentleman in a chat application. Their conversation was recorded and subsequently went viral. Both nurses were Muslim, and when they found out they were conversing with an Israeli, told him that he would soon die. The two divulged that not only would they not treat an Israeli patient, but they had already killed some in their care.
The response to this incident was encouraging, and it’s most likely why the story was overshadowed by the Bibas family’s return home. The New South Wales Health Minister immediately released a strong statement denouncing the comments and fired both nurses. The minister also promised a full investigation of all hospital employees to ensure that such atrocious and unprofessional behavior would not happen on his watch.
This was the correct response, but it wasn’t the only one. More than 50 Muslim leaders and organizations rallied in support of the nurses, claiming that antisemitism was being weaponized against the two and that the public shaming needed to cease.
What’s amazing about this incident is that it exposes how morally bankrupt the attacks on Israel are. Much of the vitriol towards the Jewish state is based on a false accusation that Israel treats its Arab population as second-class citizens. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
Even in the wake of the Oct. 7 atrocities, Israel has gone above and beyond what any nation would do for its enemies. Injured terrorists are provided health care in Israeli hospitals. Even senior Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar—the mastermind of the Oct. 7 massacre—was treated for a brain tumor while in Israeli custody. And still, the Australian nurses threatened any Israeli with death. And let’s be honest, they meant to threaten “any” Jew with death under their watch.
There is no doubt that Messiah’s first stop will be the health-care facilities in Israel. If you’d like to see a glimpse of the coexistence we all long for, it already lives in the hospitals. Israeli medical professionals not only treat every person who’s brought in the door, but many of the doctors are Arab Israelis. This type of cooperation cannot be found anywhere else in the Middle East.
Most Jews have responded to the events in Gaza and Australia with disdain and horror. And rightfully so. The actions in both cases demand repudiation.
But there is a silver lining. These hate-filled actors show the world their true colors. As ironic as it is to say, the masks are off, and it’s causing a shift in public opinion. More and more people are realizing that there will never be a two-state solution and that those who seek our demise only do so out of pure hatred of the Jewish people.
To all those who loathe us, I say keep it coming. The more you parade around the depths of depravity, the more the world can see who you are. As hard as it is to watch and as challenging as it is to be on the receiving end, know that your actions will have far-reaching consequences.
