NSW nurse charged, school protest supports defending her

One of the Sydney nurses caught on video threatening to kill Israeli patients has beem charged.

Sarah Abu Lebdeh, who worked at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital in Sydney’s south-west, has been charged with three Commonwealth offences, including threatening violence, using a carriage service to threaten to kill, and using a carriage service to menace, harass, or offend.

Strike Force Pearl investigators arrested and charged Abu Lebdeh late on Tuesday. She was granted strict bail conditions, including a social media ban, and is due to appear in court in March.

NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said on Wednesday afternoon that Ms Abu Lebdeh had been charged with three "very, very serious" offences. "She is on very, very strict bail conditions, namely prohibiting her from going to a point of departure from Australia, but more importantly, she is banned from using social media," Commissioner Webb said. Commissioner Webb stated that detectives had worked tirelessly to gather evidence from overseas within 13 days. "I don't think I would have ever imagined that an investigation of that complexity, across the other side of the world, would be done in such a short time," she said.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has sought assistance from Israel in the investigation, taking steps this week to ensure crucial video evidence will be admissible in court the SMH reported. Dreyfus has approached the Israeli government to ensure the evidence complies with both Australian and Israeli law. This legal step aims to overcome any doubts about the admissibility of a video featuring the two nurses, which was captured on the live chat platform Chatruletka and shared by Israeli social media influencer Max Veifer. While NSW Police have obtained the video from Veifer, the federal move seeks to ensure that the video evidence is officially provided by the State of Israel and does not face legal challenges regarding its provenance.

NSW Police Strike Force Pearl detectives have been unable to speak to the second nurse, Ahmad Rashad Nadir, since he was taken to Liverpool Hospital following a concern-for-welfare call at about 9pm on 13 February, the day before police raided his Bankstown home. Police Commissioner Karen Webb stated that further charges would be laid in relation to the video once Nadir, who remains in hospital, is interviewed.

Pro-Palestinian teachers have led dozens of schoolchildren in chants of “Allahu Akbar” outside a western Sydney public school in support of a sheikh who defended the nurses.

NSW Education Minister Prue Car had warned teachers at Granville Boys High School that they must perform their duties “impartially” and “apolitically” and told students they could face disciplinary action if they attended protests.

However, activists from Teachers and School Staff for Palestine who led the protest on Wednesday declared they would continue the ­protest, The Australian reported.

The protesters demanded the reinstatement of support officer Sheik Wesam Charkawi, who was ordered by the NSW Education Department to work from home after defending the two nurses in an Instagram post.

In his Instagram video, Sheik Charkawi stated that the nurses’ comments were “never meant to be literal or intended to be a threat to patient care” and criticised the “hypocrisy” of Anthony Albanese and NSW Health Minister Ryan Park for remaining silent “when confronted with the most egregious acts of violence committed by Israel.”

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Dreyfus seeks help from Israel as Sydney nurse charged over antisemitic video (SMH)

NSW nurse charged over video threatening Israeli patients (ABC)

Activism classes: teachers lead students in ‘Allahu Akbar’ protest at Sydney school gate (The Australian, Paywall)