Sarah Abu Lebdeh, a 26-year-old nurse who worked at Bankstown Hospital in Sydney, has been charged following the release of a viral video that appeared to show her and a colleague threatening to kill Israeli patients and boasting about refusing to treat them. The video, posted earlier this month by Israeli influencer Max Veifer, sparked widespread outrage.
Abu Lebdeh has been charged with three offences: threatening violence, using a telecommunications service to threaten to kill, and using a service to menace, harass, or offend. The arrest follows an investigation by Strike Force Pearl, a special law enforcement unit set up in response to a wave of antisemitic violence. Abu Lebdeh’s colleague, Ahmed Rashid Nadir, who also appeared in the video, has not been charged.
Abu Lebdeh’s arrest makes her the 14th individual arrested by Strike Force Pearl, with a total of 76 criminal charges brought against various individuals, according to Karen Webb, the police commissioner for New South Wales. “Strike Force Pearl detectives must be commended for acting swiftly under enormous pressure and public expectation,” Webb said.
The video and the nurses’ comments about Israeli patients drew condemnation both in Australia and internationally. Following the incident, both nurses were fired from their jobs and barred from practicing anywhere in Australia.
In the wake of the incident, American Jewish leaders have expressed concerns about rising antisemitism in the healthcare sector, citing reports of anti-Israel sentiment within medical institutions. Local Jewish officials also raised concerns last year about Jewish patients being denied psychological care by anti-Zionist healthcare providers amid the Israel-Gaza conflict.
