‘Depraved’: Pro-Palestinian activists’ response to killings blasted

The brutal killing of two Israeli diplomats in Washington has sparked a wave of inflammatory commentary from high-profile, pro-Palestinian figures in Australia – including a man once charged with terrorism offences.

Clementine Ford at a pro-Palestine protest in Melbourne. Picture: Brendan Beckett

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The assassination of two Israeli diplomats outside a Jewish museum in Washington has been met with a torrent of celebratory and incendiary responses from high-profile Australian pro-Palestinian activists – including a former terrorism suspect, feminist Clementine Ford and 2021 Australian of the Year Grace Tame.

Palestine champions across the nation quickly flooded social media on Thursday to demonise the Jewish state after Yaron Lischinsky and his girlfriend Sarah Milgrim were shot dead by Elias Rodriguez outside the Capitol Jewish Museum in Washington.

In one of the most obscene examples, former terrorism suspect Zaky Mallah commented on a post by the Australian Jewish Association which showed a clip of the terrorist yelling “free Palestine” and declared “good riddance. Palestine forever” before replying to comments with a bomb emoji.

Protest organiser Zaky Mallah. Picture: Dylan Robinson

Mallah was the first person charged under Australia’s anti-terrorism laws after creating a video in 2003 that allegedly threatened a suicide attack on federal government offices in Sydney.

Although he was acquitted of two terrorism charges in 2005, he admitted to a separate offence of threatening violence against Commonwealth officials.

AJA CEO Robert Gregory said he was concerned that the violent hatred seen overseas could soon spill onto the streets of Australia.

“Zaky Mallah’s vile comments are further evidence of the radicalisation that is growing within the anti-Israel movement,” Mr Gregory said. “Given Mr Mallah’s background, it is reasonable to hope that law enforcement is monitoring him closely.”

Outspoken feminist Clementine Ford also felt the need to share a post by independent Australian “journalist” Caitlin Johnstone that read: “Two Israeli embassy staff getting shot in Washington DC is less newsworthy than tens of thousands of Palestinians being killed in Israel’s genocidal land grab. It is less important. It deserves less attention. It is not the main story. Israel’s genocide in Gaza is the main story.”

Ms Ford, who failed to define a woman on Piers Morgan’s Uncensored show this week, later amplified a second post that said: “Yaron Lischinsky was not even Jewish. He was 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.”

Responding to The Australian, she suggested the journalist writing this story should instead focus on how world leaders reacted to “Israel’s slaughter of over 50,000 Palestinians.”

“F--k Israel and f--k Zionism, for both would make the Nazis proud. Print your worst about me – for so long as The Australian considers me an ideological enemy, I can trust I’m on the right side of history.”

Former Australian of the Year Grace Tame was among those who criticised Israel on Thursday, sharing a post that accused the media of reframing the attack in Washington as anti-Semitic.

“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,” the post read.

Randa Abdel-Fattah at a pro-Palestine protest at Macquarie University in Sydney. Picture: Richard Dobson

Anti-Israel academic Randa Abdel-Fattah also shared a post on her X account from Mohammad Alsaafin – an Al Jazeera contributor – saying: “The names of 2 Israeli embassy staff are all over global media, where you won’t find the names of any of the 61 people and counting killed by the Israeli army today.”

“Anti-racism” activist Elsa Tuet-Rosenberg, who was connected to the mass doxxing of 600 Jewish creatives from a WhatsApp group, condemned a statement made by the estranged Jewish Council of Australia that said it was horrified at the Washington assassinations, saying: “You guys mourn more Zionists than martyrs and it’s weird as f--k”.

Sydney-based activist Sarah Issa Shaweesh, who was a key organiser of a picket outside Anthony Albanese’s office, also responded to the Jewish Council’s social media post – saying: “Knowing Israelis this (is) probably a false flag too,” adding in a separate comment “His (Lischinsky) social media presence highlighted his loyalty to Israel and the Jewish cause, often posting messages in support of actions taken by the IDF.”

She later said “Yaron Lischinsky eliminated” and “he’s no victim”.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Australia’s peak Jewish body condemned the local activists who expressed sympathy for the gunman who murdered the two Israeli diplomats, describing their reactions as “depraved” and “reminiscent of Nazi propaganda”.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin told The Australian the online response to the targeted killing revealed a level of radicalisation and inhumanity that was “difficult to comprehend.”

“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,” Mr Ryvchin said.

“But to read the accounts of a young woman shot at close range and crawling for her life before being shot again multiple times and responding with barely concealed joy reveals a depravity that is difficult to comprehend.

“It shows how completely these people have been radicalised into the belief that anyone associated with Israel or the mainstream Jewish community is subhuman and no suffering is too great for them.

“It is a fanaticism reminiscent of Nazi propaganda. That it should come from self-styled anti-racists and feminists is beyond parody.”

President of the Zionist Federation of Australia Jeremy Leibler said the gleeful glorification of cold-blooded murder has exposed a chilling double standard.

“To those who have used the senseless murder of two young people to spew hatred: you are not the voice of justice, you are the voice of extremism. And we know the Australian public sees through your hypocrisy,” Mr Leibler said.