Two Australian nurses who said they’d refuse to treat Israelis have been banned for two years from working from or providing any services to participants of the country’s National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
The action comes four months after Ahmad Rashad Nadir and Sarah Abu Lebdeh were suspended from their jobs at Bankstown Hospital in Sydney.
In a conversation with TikTok user Max Veifer, they were recorded saying they would send Israelis ‘to hell’.
The video triggered a New South Wales state police investigation with both nurses allegedly expressing regret and saying their remarks weren’t to be taken seriously.
This latest ban was effective from May 9, applies nationwide and stops either Nadir or Lebdeh from working with NDIS participants or performing any role for or on behalf of NDIS providers in any Australian state or territory.
Abu Lebdeh has also been charged with federal offenses, including threatening violence against a group and using a carriage service to threaten, menace, and harass. If convicted, she faces up to 22 years in prison.
Nadir has been charged with federal offenses, including using a carriage service to menace, harass, or cause offense, as well as possession of a prohibited drug.
His lawyer claims the video with Max Veifer was captured “without the consent and knowledge” of his client.
Both Ahmad Rashad Nadir and Sarah Abu Lebdeh remain free on bail and have not yet entered any pleas. They are scheduled to appear in court on July 29 and are banned from either leaving Australia or using social media while their cases are ongoing.
A report from the Executive Council of Australian Jewry reported more than 2,000 anti-Jewish incidents in 12 months from 1 October 2023 to 30 September 2024.
