AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Following a deadly terrorist attack targeting participants in a Hanukkah ceremony at a Sydney beach, a Jewish anti-Zionist journalist and activist has criticized the way the incident was portrayed, describing it as an example of “political exploitation.”
Yaakov Aharon, a Jewish anti-Zionist journalist and activist, said in an exclusive interview with the Palestine Chronicle that in the aftermath of the attack, public attention quickly shifted away from the victims toward political scapegoating and the stoking of fear against Muslims and Islam. According to him, online narratives sought to link the attack to pro-Palestine protests and even to Australia’s recognition of the State of Palestine.
While noting that the perpetrators have been linked to the ISIS terrorist group, Aharon said that no clear motive for the attack has so far been officially announced. He added that the Israeli regime’s government and some of its supporters have attempted, without presenting evidence, to portray Iran as well as protesters opposing the Gaza war as responsible for a rise in antisemitism.
The Jewish activist also highlighted the role of Ahmad al-Ahmad, a Muslim Australian of Syrian origin, who risked his own life to seize a weapon from one of the attackers and save those present. Aharon described the act as “heroic,” stressing that the primary victims of terrorist groups such as ISIS have been Muslims themselves.
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