James Packer says Sydney nurse footage ‘beyond imagination’

James Packer says footage of two Sydney nurses threatening to kill ­Israeli patients is ‘beyond imagination’.

James Packer talks to Sky News interview.

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Billionaire James Packer says he is “horrified” by the explosion of anti-Semitism in Australia and that footage of two Sydney nurses threatening to kill ­Israeli patients is “beyond imagination”.

Interviewed on Sky News ahead of its Anti-Semitism Summit on Thursday, the businessman, who described himself as a “proud Australian”, said his fellow countrymen needed to show greater tolerance, particularly ­religious tolerance.

“I’m a proud Australian, ­obviously, I will always be a proud Australian. One of the great things about being a proud Australian is that it’s such an egalitarian country … To see this occurring the way it is at the ­moment, it’s horrifying,” Mr Packer told Sky News’ Sharri Markson.

He described viral footage of Bankstown Hospital nurses Ahmad “Rashad” Nadir and Sarah Abu Lebdeh as like “a scene from a Hollywood movie”.

“It’s not something you could believe was a real-life situation. It doesn’t sound plausible, you wouldn’t believe it could be true. It’s beyond imagination … It’s that terrible.”

Neither of the nurses have been charged with any criminal offences relating to the video recorded by an Israeli influencer, but police are investigating.

Mr Packer said it was “really disappointing” to see a lack of responsibility from university leaders on campus anti-Semitism and said the Holocaust ­needed to be “taught widely” in schools.

Mr Packer with his children Jackson, 12, Indigo, 13, and Emmanuelle, 9, at their residence in Mexico. Picture: Ana Badillo

He added that “we’re dealing with hatred that’s thousands of years old and that’s obviously the tragedy of what’s going on at the moment”.

“It’s such a complex situation. I think we’re all more hopeful probably than we were a couple of months ago.

“I think the change of government in America is at least going to bring some impetus to the situation. Clearly its been a horrific period and its just awful. From every side, from every side.”

Asked whether he had a message for fellow Australians in the face of rising anti-Semitism, he said: “I think everyone should try and be tolerant.

“It’s easier said than done, and I get to do that from a position of privilege. I try to remember how lucky I am every day and try and do that through being grateful about how lucky I am.

“We need more tolerance in a whole set of areas in life, but we certainly need more religious tolerance. This is not the right way forward what’s happening at the moment.”

The Sky News Anti-Semitism Summit will air on Thursday from 1pm AEDT and include panel discussions on law and order, what more needs to be done to stop acts of violence against the Jewish community and the role of educational institutions in the fight against anti-Semitism.

Co-organised and hosted by Markson and co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, Alex Ryvchin, the summit aims to develop “tangible solutions” to combat the hatred.

The line-up of speakers ­includes: NSW Premier Chris Minns, federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, federal Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, former prime minister John Howard, Australia’s anti-Semitism special envoy Jillian Segal, Israel’s ­ambassador of Israel to Australia Amir Maimon, former federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg, NSW Police Deputy Commissioner David Hudson, NSW Jewish Board of Deputies president David Ossip, former secretary of the Department of Home Affairs Mike Pezzullo, human rights lawyer and activist Simone Abel, opposition foreign affairs spokesman Julian Leeser, former vice-chancellor of the Australian Catholic University Greg Craven, singer-songwriter Deborah ­Conway, Federal Court judge Michael Lee and survivors of the Holocaust.

Sky News Antisemitism Summit. Thursday from 1pm AEDT. Stream at SkyNews.com.au