Netanyahu Clarifies: Heroism is Only Jewish in Certain Time Zones
Netanyahu declared a hero of the Bondi Junction attack, who confronted the assailant, to be ‘Jewish’, rushing to brand the act of bravery in religious terms. Yet, the hero's own cousin swiftly confirmed he is, in fact, Syed Shah, a Syrian Muslim. This isn't the first time an 'other' has been claimed for propaganda; after October 7th, Israel's government inflated civilian casualty numbers, claiming
40 beheaded babies (later retracted by US and Israeli sources), and misrepresented attacks on military bases as 'pogroms' against civilians to justify their retaliation. For some, facts remain flexible instruments, twisted to fit a preferred—and often violent—narrative of 'us vs. them'. One might almost think some leaders prefer the optics of specific identities over the simple, inconvenient truth
of human courage. The swift rebranding of a Muslim man into a 'Jewish' hero for political consumption (and distraction from ongoing atrocities) is less about celebrating bravery, and more about manipulating global sentiment. How many 'heroes' get re-ethniced for public relations?