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Daily Mail
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Ex-terrorism suspect's disturbing four-word message from Australia after two Israeli diplomats were assassinated outside a Jewish museum in the US
A former Australian terrorism suspect has come under fire since after he shared a comment celebrating the assassination of two Israeli embassy staff in the US. Yaron Lischinsky, 28, and his girlfriend Sarah Milgrim, 26, were shot dead by Elias Rodriguez outside the Capitol Jewish Museum in Washington on Thursday morning. Within hours of the attack, a number of Australian commentators took to social media to refocus criticism away from the terror attack towards Israel 's activities in Gaza. In response to a video posted by the Australian Jewish Association which depicted the alleged murderer yelling: 'Free Palestine', former terror suspect Zaky Mallah commented: 'good riddance. Palestine forever.' Mallah was the first man charged with terrorism under laws introduced by the Howard government. While Mallah was found not guilty of preparing a 2003 suicide attack on a Sydney Commonwealth building, he pleaded guilty to a separate charge of threatening a Commonwealth official. Chief executive of the Australian Jewish Association Robert Gregory told Daily Mail Australia Mallah's comments evidenced an ongoing radicalisation within the anti-Israel movement. 'There is something deeply wrong with anyone who celebrates the cold-blooded murder of a young couple,' he said. 'Given Mr Mallah's background, it is reasonable to hope that law enforcement is monitoring him closely. The last thing Australia needs is for the violent hatred seen overseas to spill onto our streets.' Australian feminist author Clementine Ford shared a post following the incident which described the killing as 'less newsworthy than tens of thousands of Palestinians being killed in Israel's genocidal land grab'. She shared another post which claimed Mr Lischinsky was not Jewish but rather a 'crazed Christian Zionist freak who volunteered to serve the Israeli rape-army and then did propaganda for them at the embassy. 'This makes calling this an anti-Semitic attack doubly deranged and actually the height of anti-Semitism by conflating Israel and non-Jewish Israelis with all Jews,' the post continued. Mr Gregory criticised the posts. 'With the volume of hatred that Clementine Ford spreads, it is astounding that she is still welcome anywhere and that publishers and bookstores are not embarrassed to carry her work,' he said. Former Australian of the Year Grace Tame also took to social media in the wake of the attack to condemn media reports she claimed inappropriately portrayed the incident as antisemitic. 'It's despicable, and nothing short of journalistic malpractice, that the media class is scrambling to reframe the shooting that targeted two Israeli state officials as a random anti-Semitic attack,' she wrote. Mr Gregory said Tame's attempt to 'downplay the antisemitic motives' behind the attack were an 'affront to victims and survivors' 'Grace Tame has once more demonstrated that she was a terrible choice for Australian of the Year. 'When a young couple is murdered at a Jewish event, outside a Jewish museum, in the name of anti-Israel extremism, the context is undeniable.' Israel identified Mr Lischinsky as an Israeli citizen who worked alongside his girlfriend Ms Milgrim, a US citizen, at the Israeli embassy. Mr Lischinsky had recently purchased an engagement ring and had been preparing to propose. 'If a person can't condemn the point blank execution of a young couple outside a Jewish community gathering, they should say nothing at all,' co-chief executive of the Council of Australian Jewry Alex Ryvchin told Daily Mail Australia. The attacks came amid a wave of increased international scrutiny towards Israel over its total blockade on aid entering Gaza, which it partly eased in recent days. Israel has recently stepped up its military campaign in Gaza, including more than 100 air targeted strikes on Saturday. Foreign Minister Penny Wong swiftly condemned the killings in a post to X in which she wrote: 'There is no place for antisemitism in the world'. FBI director Kash Patel labelled the killing an 'act of terror'. It was not the first time Tame had criticised Israel's actions in Gaza. On May 16, she appeared at a Feminist in the Time of Gaza forum in Melbourne's Federation Square. In an Instagram post last year, she wrote: 'It's hard not to feel dispirited, disgusted and downright enraged this IWD. 'We're watching an accelerated genocide unfold before our eyes in Gaza, where innocent women and children account for around 70 per cent of the rising death toll. 'Many of our so-called leaders with the power and platforms to act are inert and apathetic.'
Epoch Times
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
‘Toxic Anti-Semitism': Australian Senators on Shooting of Israeli Embassy Staff
Liberal Senator Dave Sharma has expressed his horror at the recent act of terror in Washington in which two Israeli embassy staff were killed. This comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised to boost security at embassies around the world after the young couple were fatally shot in an allegedly targeted anti-Semitic attack. In a post to Before entering federal politics, Sharma served as Australia's ambassador to Israel from 2013 to 2017. 'I am horrified by the terrorist attack on Israeli embassy staff in Washington D.C. A couple, about to become engaged, were killed,' he said. 'They are victims of a toxic anti-Semitism that has been growing largely unchecked throughout the world. My sincere condolences to the family and embassy staff.' Suspect Charged Elias Rodriguez has been charged with Related Stories 5/22/2025 3/29/2024 Rodriguez, 30, was allegedly heard shouting 'free free Palestine' after the incident. He has also been charged with murder of foreign officials, causing the death of a person through the use of a firearm and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, court documents reveal In a post to social media, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino urged Americans to pray for the families of the victims. 'This is something no parent, family member, or friend should have to go through. The FBI sends our condolences and will offer our full support as the investigation continues,' he No Place for Anti-Semitism in the World Foreign Minister Penny Wong also expressed her thoughts for the families of the victims, their loved ones and colleagues. 'The Australian government is shocked and appalled by the killing of two Israeli Embassy staff in Washington D.C.,' she 'There is no place for anti-Semitism in the world. It must be denounced and condemned.' Meanwhile, the Australian Jewish Association said it was appalled by the deadly attack. 'Our thoughts are with the victims and their families during this tragic time,' the AJA Its chief executive officer, Robert Gregory, said the attack served as a stark warning to Australia. 'We believe it is only a matter of time before anti-Israel extremists carry out serious violence or cause loss of life here,' he said. Gregory called for an 'urgent crackdown' on 'anti-Israel extremists' in Australia. He claimed recent political statements in Australia had led to an increase in threats against Jewish targets in Sydney. 'We urge authorities to act before it is too late and we call on political leaders to show restraint and avoid rhetoric that contributes to division and hatred.' Recently, Wong joined foreign leaders from 22 other nations to call for Israel to allow more aid into Gaza. 'Whilst we acknowledge indications of a limited restart of aid, Israel blocked humanitarian aid entering Gaza for over two months. Food, medicines and essential supplies are exhausted. The population faces starvation. Gaza's people must receive the aid they desperately need,' the joint statement said. The statement said Israel's security cabinet had reportedly approved a new model for delivering aid into Gaza, which the 'U.N. and our humanitarian partners cannot support.' 'They are clear that they will not participate in any arrangement that does not fully respect the humanitarian principles. Humanitarian principles matter for every conflict around the world and should be applied consistently in every warzone,' foreign leaders added. 'Prior to the aid block, the U.N. and humanitarian NGOs delivered aid into Gaza, working with great courage, at the risk of their lives and in the face of major access challenges imposed by Israel.'
Sky News AU
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Penny Wong's joint statement with several other foreign ministers around the world slamming Israel over Gaza humanitarian aid called 'a disappointing inversion of reality'
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has teamed up with 22 of her counterparts from around the world in hitting out at Israel over humanitarian aid to Gaza but their remarks have been branded "a disappointing inversion of reality". Ms Wong lent her support to a joint donor statement on Monday as Israel revealed plans to "allow a basic amount of food" into Gaza after aid was blocked for more than two months. The new plan was slammed by the countries which issued the joint statement, including Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Canada, France and Germany. "Israel's security cabinet has reportedly approved a new model for delivering aid into Gaza, which the UN and our humanitarian partners cannot support," the statement said. "They are clear that they will not participate in any arrangement that does not fully respect the humanitarian principles. "The UN has raised concerns that the proposed model cannot deliver aid effectively, at the speed and scale required. "Humanitarian aid should never be politicised, and Palestinian territory must not be reduced nor subjected to any demographic change." But Australian Jewish Association Chief Executive Officer Robert Gregory told "Senator Wong's statement is a disappointing inversion of reality and reflects twisted moral priorities. "Israel is engaged in a defensive war against Hamas – a listed terrorist organisation under Australian law – following the 7 October massacre. Hamas not only initiated this war, but deliberately operates from within civilian areas, including hospitals and schools, using its own population as human shields. "Despite these brutal and complex conditions, Israel has facilitated the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza – an extraordinary act of restraint, especially while rockets continue to be fired and innocent people remain in captivity. "Israel is working on a mechanism to ensure aid can continue to flow without being misused by Hamas." Mr Gregory noted the joint statement mentioned Israel four times while only referring to Hamas once, which he said was "a clear indication of its skewed priorities". "It targets the only democracy in the Middle East, while barely naming the terrorist group that started the conflict and continues to hold hostages," he said. "No country represented in this statement would go to the lengths that Israel has gone to in providing for an enemy population during wartime. It has become easy for the Albanese government to join international pile-ons rather than stand for truth and principle. "The war in Gaza could end immediately if Hamas laid down its weapons and released the hostages – something that has been true since day one. No amount of international pressure or lecturing from Penny Wong will change Israel's obligation: to bring its people home and to defeat Hamas so that it cannot carry out future massacres." Executive Council of Australian Jewry President Daniel Aghion said the joint statement failed to address a critical issue relevant to the distribution of aid supplies. "Whilst the joint donor statement on humanitarian aid to Gaza is well-intentioned and is directed towards alleviating the suffering of civilians in Gaza, it fails to address a critical issue: what measures will be taken to prevent food, medicines and essential supplies from continuing to be stolen by Hamas and other terrorist groups?" he told "The joint statement calls on Hamas to 'allow humanitarian assistance to be distributed without interference', but says nothing about how this essential requirement is to be achieved. "Unless this issue is resolved, the benefit to civilians of resuming aid deliveries will be severely undermined, and the unintended consequence will be to benefit Hamas and encourage it not to release the hostages and to prolong the conflict." The office of Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier said that "at the recommendation of the IDF, and out of the operational need to enable the expansion of intense fighting to defeat Hamas, Israel will allow a basic amount of food for the population to ensure that a hunger crisis does not develop in the Gaza Strip". Israel has blocked the entry of medical, food and fuel supplies into Gaza since the start of March to try to pressure Hamas into freeing its hostages. Mr Netanyahu also said that when Israel had previously opted to provide minimal humanitarian aid during the war, they "discovered that Hamas was looting some of this aid". He said on Monday that the new method "is distribution points that are secured by the IDF, preventing Hamas' access and allowing American companies to distribute the food and medicine aid to the population". The joint statement from the foreign ministers said that "food, medicines and essential supplies are exhausted" in Gaza. "The population faces starvation. Gaza's people must receive the aid they desperately need," it said. "Prior to the aid block, the UN and humanitarian NGOs delivered aid into Gaza, working with great courage, at the risk of their lives and in the face of major access challenges imposed by Israel." The government of Israel was also issued "two straightforward messages" through the joint donor statement which was "allow a full resumption of aid into Gaza immediately and enable the UN and humanitarian organisations to work independently and impartially to save lives, reduce suffering and maintain dignity". "We remain committed to meeting the acute needs we see in Gaza. We also reiterate our firm message that Hamas must immediately release all remaining hostages and allow humanitarian assistance to be distributed without interference," the statement said. "It is our firm conviction that an immediate return to a ceasefire and working towards the implementation of a two-state solution are the only way to bring peace and security to Israelis and Palestinians and ensure long-term stability for the whole region."
