Sharri | 10 October

Why From Israel is a special edition of Sharing.

Hello and welcome to my final show this week from Israel, and first tonight to a world exclusive. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spoken exclusively to me about the war he's fighting, the threat of Iran to Western civilization, and his determination for the Saudi Arabia normalization deal to go ahead. I was privileged to spend more than forty five minutes with NETANYAHUO yesterday afternoon in his Prime Ministerial offices in Jerusalem.

It was a.

Confidential conversation and an off the record briefing about the war and where it goes from here. But the Prime Minister said that I can share with you three things that he spoke about Nettna, who spoke strongly about the threat of Iran. He said, the threat of Iran is not only to Israel's survival but to the Middle East

Of peace he still hopes.

He said that the deal to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia will go ahead. This deal was close to being finalized in late twenty twenty three, and it's a key reason why Iran, through its proxies Hamas and Hesbela, attacked.

Israel on October seven.

Nettiyah who told me he was not just hopeful, but determined the Saudi deal would go ahead. The rest of the meeting was confidential, but I can tell you some of what I shared with Netanyahu during our meeting. I told him how domestic politics was influencing foreign policy in Australia. I explained how Anthony Albanesi and Penny Wong's desperate desire to appease Muslim voters in Sydney's marginal seats in the West is behind many of the government's hostile.

Policies towards Israel.

I spoke to him of the anger that many Australian Jews feel towards the Albanesi government over its betrayal of Israel at its time of need. I explained to Netanyaho how the Albanesi government had fast tracked visas for nearly three thousand Gazans without adequate security checks, and I said this was a big political issue on the front page

Was the meeting of a lifetime.

It was extraordinary to be granted an in depth meeting with the wartime leader when he's leading his nation.

In major battles.

Imagine having the chance to sit down with Winston Churchill during his fight against the Nazis.

Well, that's what this meeting was like.

The Prime Minister was strong and tough and very clear in his vision, but also warm, engaging, open and interested. He asked questions about Australia, about my family, even who was looking after my children while I was in Israel. It's highly unusual for a journalist to be invited into the very heart of his prime ministerial operations and to be given so much time.

I can tell you that the criticism.

From Washington that Netanyahu doesn't have a plan or that he doesn't know what he's doing in this war is utterly wrong. After speaking with him at length, he does have a clear strategy for the war, and.

He outlined it.

It's obvious his motive is the survival of the Jewish state, but he's also fighting the terrorists and Iran to protect the world from dark forces and Netinya, who's success in not just weakening but smashing Iran's main proxy groups has been astonishing. As I've said before, incredible military feats. The pager and the walkie talkie attacks were the most sophisticated and targeted strikes of our time. Nettnaho also ended Hassan Nasralla's thirty two year reign by ordering his execution in

Threat to Israel. Instead, they're all but destroyed.

And speaking of Biden, just a few hours after my meeting with Netanyahu, he and the US President spoke on the phone for an hour. Kamala Harris joined the call. You can see here a photograph of Nettunjahoo surrounded by his advisers during that call.

It was their first call in nearly fifty days, and.

They discussed the response to Iran's ballistic missile attack last week. The White House described the call as direct and productive and said that Biden had affirmed his ironclad commitment to Israel's security and rite to defend itself. Nettina Who's office said the call was conducted in a positive spirit. The upcoming US election will undoubtedly influence Biden's position on how Israel should respond to Iran.

For Nettayaho, his wartime.

Leadership has seen a resurgence in his support in Israel. According to the polls, his popularity is now on the rise after it sank in the immediate aftermath of October seven, Poland conducted by direct polls shows Nettiya, who now leads his two closest rivals, Betty Gance and opposition leader Lapid by thirty points. Colonel Richard camp who's been living in Israel for the past year, he explained this on My show last night, as did veteran of the Prime Minister's Office, Danny Seaman.

He's an extremely strong leader. He's been criticized and vilified around the world by other leaders, including President Biden, but everything he's done has shown to be right and proved to be right.

He's also a leader in the eyes of Israelis of international standing, once in a generation leader.

It's an assessment Australia's Foreign Minister Former Foreign Minister Alexander Downer has also made. He wrote that Netto who has been a hate figure for the center left and fire left. He writes, of course he has domestic scandals and issues to deal with, but his political skill and courage over the past year make him.

A standout leader.

Downa says, as he watched his speech to the UN General Assembly, I thought he stood head and shoulders above the hesitant drivel and pole driven cliches of Western ministers and leaders, and Alexander Downa writes that if Nettayaho had listened to the demands of Biden and kir Starmer, as well as the bleeting Australian government, Hermas would.

Still be operating, as would Hesbla. Downa says, what is.

So admirable about Netanyahu is that he defied Biden and European leaders and did what he thought was in the best interest of his country security, not Western politics.

And that was the strength I saw in person when I met Nettiyaho yesterday.

You can see in the photograph he has a large map of Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Eastern Europe in his office. It's a constant reminder of just how tiny the.

Jewish state is.

We've seen that Nettiya, who is not going to ask permission from weakned international leaders to defend his citizens and inshore Israel's survival. The future of the single Jewish homeland in the world now rests squarely on his shoulders. And it's why any day now we're expecting Israel to take on Iran and not let the evil Aotolas live out their dream to destroy Israel, and not just Israel, but all of us in the West. Now, this next story

Still being held hostage.

Elana details the brutality of her mass and how she was deliberately starved, losing eleven kilograms.

Now a warning, this is confronting.

So I picked my dog and I I ran to the safe room that is our bethroom.

I wake up in Madame.

I wake up a showered to him and wake up.

There is a lot of alarms. There is no.

Regular talk to your mom and your sister because also more fucking there is alarms. A few minutes later, we start listening shootings, a many voices in Arabic, and I still saw that they in the group of the keyboods. They tell that they are our house, our house, our house. So I was in the seat holding the dog so he makes no noises, and Madame was holding the door

Miriam.

How did you as a mother coy knowing that your daughter was in Gaza.

I'm very emotional. I'm a person of it.

So since the first since the day one, what my friends start praying and they in brain chains. So I said, the only thing I can do is pray for her.

Well, do you remember waking up? After that?

They wake me up with the with the perfumed and the nose, keep me on the face and throw me water. And they put me from the her again so I can wake up from the floor. And they threw me the skirt and a hijab and they took me in the in a car with a lot of terrorists and make me away from the next stop. We through to the street of Helene. They told me, welcome to Alsa, to your new life.

We stay at nine Mothers. Please.

She has a very very big, huge a tree and I all the tree that day and they said, learn, I'm hugging you, feel me, okay, feel me, and with you, nothing is going to happen.

So after that you had your first night in Gaza.

Yeah, in the department when.

I arrived, that's one that they.

Stay were in me.

That told me that they are beautiful, that I ain't going to stay in USA also in this deal, and and I am not going to go out that he and me.

I am going to marry it and be chilled and bring children.

So they told you you were going to get married and have children.

So that's that's threatening to rape you.

Yeah, Miriam, how painful was it not knowing what was happening to Alana while she was in captivity.

I cannot describe the pain. It's something you do not deserve to anyone. It's like a.

Horror movie, know that when they tell you that it's kidnapped by a.

Mass We also sleep on the floor with h blank like this. There are a lot of insects and dirty in all the house.

And.

Water like a half of litter. I lost the eleven kilo fifty five days. And then the terrorists in front turned around to us and told us in inebrio, you are not going to home.

We are taking you to the tunnels. They must have been so weak.

I weak. I have no shoes, so my feets were with blood. I can breathe because there was no osygen.

My success that he was just playing to things, that she was safe and a life, or it was better not to suffer her and be better. So I told him I know she's alive. I know because I feel her. My cell phone brings and they said medium Ilana said that list, so I said, please repeat it.

Medium Illinis on the list, So we.

That was a post. The list meant she was going to be released.

Yes, So I wake up, my son, I wake up, and I told everybody Illan is going.

To be released.

My only believe that I go now when I see the the.

Red the Red Cross, the Red Cross, And what was that feeling when you saw the Red Cross?

The feeling was that my body is safely, but my soul is going to stay in the tunnels.

Take me to the moment when you finally got to wrap her in your arms in the hospital, when she was free.

Listen and I.

Were right through the hospital and we hope we cheese would try. I bless her, I thank God because she made the miracle.

We've got beautiful photographs of the ton all around your apartment. But how does it feel knowing he is still in the tunnels after one year?

It's difficult with the empty bed and wake up and it's the same nightmare. It's continual, But I wake up strong because if the hostage can survive a you're there and fighting for her life as I need to come to wake up all morning to still fighting for them so they come home, so they can come home.

Where does your dough get her strength from.

She's very agian and she will after this.

I know she will fight any fight, anything she has in front of her, She's.

Going to do it.

I'm very proud of her, and that's it that she.

She's amazing, such a beautiful family, and I just love spending time with them, so brave with Alana to tell us her story. Really amazing young woman. Now being here in Jerusalem. Israelis a flamixed by suggestion that there should be a ceasefire when terrorist fire rockets every day and there are steelers. We've just been hearing one hundred and one hostages in Gaza. I discussed this earlier with the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Israel, Iron Mamostin.

Have a look.

Thank you so much for your time, really appreciate it.

I've just met with the Israeli Prime Minister, benjaminette Yahu, and he made the point that this war isn't just about fighting for Israel's survival, but for the Middle East and Western civilization. Do you think the international community has failed to grasp just the significance of this.

I think the Prime Minister is absolutely right, and I think perhaps answering your question about the international community, respond, I think it's important with all the news pouring in to remind us or why are we at this point in time? We never wanted this war. This war was forced upon us on October seventh, completely unprovoked. Hamas launch the biggest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. Nearly twelve hundred people were slaughtered, women were raped, families were burned alive.

So many people have been affected here exactly.

Almost everyone knows someone who has taken hostage or murdered, or even now injured or killed in battle.

The stories are everywhere, but it's not only the stories that happen on October seven. It's making sure that those stories won't repeat themselves. We're fighting with one cause to make sure that October seventh massacre won't happen again and to bring our hostages back home.

There are reports that the hostages are being used by ya Ya Sinoa as a form of protection human shields. What is the plan to get the hostages to bring them home? A year on from October seven.

So there are three objectives to this war. The first one is to remove the threat. Like I said, to make sure that Hamas has no military and governmental capabilities to repeat this massacre. The second objective is to make sure those hostages are back home. And the third objective is to make sure that the civilians, the people living in the northern part of Israel, can go back to

Well, turning to Hasbela, we have seen incredible success by Israel in dismantling the Hasbela leadership.

Can you do the same in Gaza with Sinowa?

You know you mentioned his Bala. And again this is important because sometimes people are asking why now Lebanon, Why now Chris Bala. Again, it's important to remember why we're here at this point in time. On October eighth, just a day after the massacre, again completely unprovoked, His Bala

In your role, you'd come across a lot of international journalists and media outlets. Do you have a comment on the extent of the anti Israel bias that we see in the mainstream press narrative.

I think sometimes when it comes to the media, there is a tendency to have a very short memory, just to look at what's happening right now and not to look at the big picture. And the big picture for us israelis is the day to day picture is that we are being attacked and we're trying to protect our families. Let me be personal for a second, Like I said, I have two daughters, one in the age of eleven

Yeah, no room for failure. I really appreciate your time. Thank you very much, Jennie, Thank you.

Well.

Still plenty more to come, and dawning allegations against Deputy Prime Minister Richard Miles from one of the government's most senior female advisors. I'll discuss that with my panel back in Australia shortly. Plus the truth about Hermas's rape and sexual violence against young women and why the world wants to deny it.

That's after this quick break. Welcome back.

Well.

From the minute the world began to learn of the tragic events on October seven, there were horrific stories of women being raped, sexually assaulted, and even violently mutilated by Hermas.

Thanking from being here.

Now, can you tell us some of the evidence and tell Australians who might not have heard this from any of the women's groups.

What did we see? What rape and sexual violence? What was the extent of it?

By her mus Well, First of all, I'll say we'll probably never know the full extent because part of the systematical brutal attack, after the rapes and the mutilation and the abuse, was to murder and also burn the victims. We can see this mo in different scenes across the gaza envelope where the attack was held, So we'll probably.

Never know what really happened.

The scope of what really happened, I will.

Say, though, that what we do see.

Again in the four different main scenes, the army bases, the kibusin the Nova party and the two three two road are. First of all, we have survivors and eyewitnesses to rapes and gang rapes very brutal. Many of the victims have been shot during the during the rape, and the apes continued after the victim was dead. We see footage of mutilation of gender that's gender based violence, of violence that's aimed at the sexuality at the when.

We talked about mutilation, we're talking about mutilation of female sexual orchards.

And male Also we see cutting of breasts, shooting at the pelvic area.

Uh.

We see footage from bodies that were brought to Gaza of jumping on the pelvis, on the buttocks, touching, spitting at again everything this violence is aimed at the sexuality and the genitals of a person, men and female.

There's also a lot of photographs of women, in particular I'm being stripped, stripped naked. These are by naked and then paraded around.

By her mus We call this the talking bodies. Bodies that really either taken and maybe some of them are still not. Maybe some of them are still being held in Gaza, and some of them were found on ground uh uh, stripped, naked fully or partially bodies abuse again to the sexuality of the person gagged, tiede bound, tied, no wonder where Bloody pelvises. Yes, And again what's really important for me to stress is that you see this in the four main scenes of the attack, and when

But before we came on air, I let you were showing me some of the truly graphic and far too graphic to broadcast image of women who their bodies, who had been completely burt to these or corpses.

But you could see the signs, as you.

Say, of them being gagged or mutilation and their legs left open.

It's just so horrific.

And when you've got that sort of evidence, what do you say about all of the women's organizations who have mostly been silent, maybe a bare statement, but certainly not campaigning against this defin.

Now I'll say this, I'm heartbroken.

I feel betrayed.

I come myself a professional feminist. All my life, I've been protesting for women. I truly believe and still believe. I didn't change the rules on feminism.

Truly believe that.

This solidarity right.

Did the Me Too protest show us that this happens everywhere in every you know, every everywhere in the world, and every economical status everywhere, and when it happens to women, to Jewish women israelly women.

Suddenly we need the golden evidence.

Suddenly there's denials, Suddenly there's a reducement of the claims. Did anyone questions the claims of the Yazdi women or the Ukrainian women? No, because we believe, because we know this goes as far as Bible days, the sexual terror, sexual using the bodies of women as ours.

Yes, it goes back to the Bible.

We called ourselves the Dina Project because Dina is the daughter of Jacob and Leah who was abducted and.

Raped the biblical character.

Why is it so hard to believe that it happened here in Israel? There's no explanation because except plain old good anti semitismism.

And that's what it is that the left wing Jewish groups, sorry, the left wing feminist groups, so called feminist groups, do not care about Israeli women being raped.

And that's just a matter. And that includes all of the UN bodies as well. It's disgraceful. Well, good on you.

Thank you for having the strength to speak out about such a difficult topic day in day out and sharing the presentation with the graphic images. You're doing such important work and the world needs to wake up.

Thank you, I elitt thank you for giving this a stage.

Course of course.

Now after the break, Anthony Alberinezi slammed over his chronic mismanagement of foreign policy. Plus Richard Miles, chief of staff, comes out in an emotional press conference accusing his office of bullying My panel back home will join me next.

Welcome back.

If you're just tuning in, I'm here in beautiful Jerusalem, but joining me back home in Australia is National Senate leader Bridget Mackenzie and Liberal Senator Holly Hughes.

Welcome to you both well.

Explosive revelations today in the Guardian from the Deputy Prime Minister's chief of staff.

She's made damning allegations of bullying.

Joe Tanaski claims she's been effectively barred from her office and has been shunned by Richard Miles for five months ever since she complained about colleagues undermining her. Here she was at an emotional press conference earlier today.

I have been plagued with nightmares, flashbacks, symptoms of depression and anxiety, panic attacks and suicidal thoughts. I am being bullied out of a job. I loved that I was doing well. It was a job that I dreamed of having since I first visited Parliament House as a child.

Bridget this is a senior staff member in the Albanezi government.

Quite shocking allegations there.

Yeah, absolutely, and as she made mention in her comments, for women to get to the very highest of roles in this buildings quite difficult, and she's at the moment the most senior female chief of staff in the government. Obviously, everybody deserves a safe and respectful workplace. We know that the PWSs has come into force and I'm assuming these allegations will be forwarded to that body as soon as possible, if they haven't already.

Holly, what sort of response do you think we should be seeing from the Deputy Prime Minister here.

Well, I guess, Shari.

One of the concerns that I have, and I think one of the most difficult things to listen to when that press conference was going on, was that the Miles's chiefs for staff she had got a phone call asking for the code to the safe in her office which

Yeah.

Well, I'm sure we'll keep on this as the days progress. Now concerning reports in the Daily Telegraph today that the nation's e Safety Commissioner has found more than one point three million Australian children under the age of thirteen are already active.

On social media.

This is completely flouting the current existing age restrictions. Bridget you know, the social media companies say they've got age restrictions, but they're clearly not working at all.

Absolutely Sharhi, I think it's really tough environment, not just for young people who are subject to a whole lot of negative influences on social media, but parents who are trying to keep their children safe, and for platforms to say they have an age restriction and they're not in any way ask for verification of age really just allows these platforms to be open to abuse. So we've been calling for a long time for age verification to be

It's going to be a big generational shift, though, Holly, to have to see parents try and get their kids offline when there's already one point three million children under the age of thirteen. Now we're talking about raising the age restrictions to fourteen or sixteen. So this is going to be a big cultural change that families are going to have to try and adjust to.

Absolutely it is, and I've been reading The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Hayde, which ties the introduction of smartphones to an increase in anxiety and depression, particularly around young girls, but across this new generation that have grown up with smartphones. I do think whilst there is an obligation on the social media giants to make sure that there is age verification, I do think that there are things that parents can do.

So perhaps if we.

Saw kids go back to maybe the old I don't know, was it Nokia three ten or something that we had that the game on it was snafe. You could send a text message and receive a phone call about keeping kids safe. And maybe it is parents at schools coming together and say that's it. We're not allowing kids to have smartphones until they're sixteen or fourteen, and parents get together, so you're not having the peer pressure within the classroom

Charie.

It's not just about bullying et ceter that comes online. We've got young men in particular being exposed to, you know, pornography like you know Penthouse and Layboy, which was the dajuur in the seventies and eighties when I grew up.

It is just so explicit. It is violent, is.

Violent, and it is contributing to the treatment of young women. And if we really want to see this generation of young people grow up as happy and healthy and well adjusted adults, we need to stop filling their minds with such negative and atrocious material.

Yeah, well said okay, we'll just quickly to end.

In a huge insult to Albanesi, John Howard has accused him of chronic mismanagement of foreign policy and compared it to even Mark Latham.

Back in two thousand.

And four, The Australian reporting that the former Prime Minister said that Labor doesn't really have a significant grasp on the nuancewers of foreign policy in the Middle East. The government can't even make its mind up about what to do over Gaza and Lebanon Holly. These accusations from John Howard are utterly one hundred percent correct.

Absolutely they're correct, and I think we can all be grateful that Mark Latham never got the keys to the lodge. Unfortunately Albanesi did. His incompetence is on display every single day. We saw with his Turettes outburst this week the quality of his character, and I think we're seeing that it's found very wanting. But his position on Israel has consistently shown he's trying to talk out of both sides of

Bridget twenty seconds.

Well, you know today this week we came together for October the seventh, the world said generations ago, never again. The Holocaust didn't start with gas chambers and Jews in cattle trucks. It started with protests, it started with hate speech, and it started with antisemitism being normalized. In the last twelve months, we've seen anti Semitism being normalized in our suburbs, Jewish businesses, academics and students being attacked, and most recent

Yeah, and we're so grateful for the support of both of you, strong women, Bridget Mackenzie, Holly Hughes, thank you very much for joining me. Now coming up, how Penny Wang has given eighty two million dollars to Gaza while Jews around the world have to fund donations to Israel. Plus my reflections on this significant week of reporting in Israel. That's after this quick break, welcome back.

Well.

Penny Wong has given eighty two million dollars in taxpayer funds to Gaza and the Palestinian territories since the October seven terror attacks against Israel. Yet it's been up to Jewish communities around the world to raise funds to give personal donations to Israelis affected by this war on October seven and six.

We're joining me now.

Is the world chairman of UIA, that's the United Israel Appeal, Sam Grundwerk.

Sam, thank you very much for your time.

Why are donations needed in Israel and who do they support?

So UIA United Israel Appeal. We've been around for over one hundred years as one of the founding national institutions of the State of Israel and Australia and the communities across Australia, the great Jewish communities but also our Christian friends of Israel have always supported Israel, but especially now in the last year, since October seventh, the needs are tremendous,

And you know a lot of people forget that there have been eighty thousand Israeli families displaced from.

The northern border.

The people in the Kibltzim all of their homes completely burnt down. They've lost everything, which is why the donations are so important.

Now. Stephen Lowie's part of your organization.

He gave a very powerful speech recently in Sydney where he spoke about the anti Semitism that we're seeing.

He showed leadership in speaking publicly about this.

You know, what's your comment on this anti semitism that spread well, Steve.

The Lowi and I work extremely closely together for the last six years, and he's a great example of a product of Australia and the opportunities that Australia has given to the Jews that have come there, especially since World

I think it's also important to mention that the oganization Uia doesn't just help Jews, it helps all Israelis and it's a very multicultural society and a lot of the victims of October seven, actually not a lot, but some of the victims actually weren't.

Jews absolutely, and a lot of the support also that we do. I mentioned it's humanitarian for the civilians, for our citizens. We also provide a lot to helping with the medical care and the first responders. And like you say, Shari, there's no distinction between We have almost ten million citizens here in Israel and about two million or so are not Jews, and there's no distinction. And we are there to help the people of Israel and all of those

Sam Grundwerk, thank you very much for joining me.

Thank you.

Now before we go, I'd like to share a final reflection on the week that I've had here in Israel. Yes, we've covered anguish and suffering and trauma. As you know, I've spoken with two former hostages, family members whose loved ones were killed on October seven, and Israelis who are still desperate to bring their loved ones home from the

But what will stay with me the most is.

The warmth, the love, the solidarity, the strength, the friendships forged here, the heartfelt connections made. I have felt the strongest connections with almost everyone I've interviewed. Aviva Siegel, who was trapped in guars and dungeons so small.

She could barely breathe.

Elana, who you heard tonight was starved during her time in captivity, and the leaders fighting for our survival. We all shared determination to survive, resilience, to rebuild, and hope for a future where Israel can live in peace and security with its neighbors, free from the constant threat of terror. That's what the Prime Minister told me he's working to was the number of homes that you see when you're driving around Israel with the Israeli flag waving outside.

So many.

You'd never see anything like it in Australia because there's so much pride here to be Israeli. This has been a week of reporting that I'll never forget and I'm so pleased I've been able to share these incredible stories and experiences with you at home in Australia. I'll see you back home next week and until then, here's James Morrow hosting for Paul Murray.