The Israeli Embassy in Canberra has raised concerns over comments by former Australian of the Year Grace Tame about reports of sexual violence by terrorist group Hamas.
On Monday, Ms Tame appeared on ABC Radio Sydney to discuss her interpretation of the phrase “globalise the intifada”.
In the interview, Ms Tame said she understood the phrase “to be a call for widespread resistance” against the actions of Israel.
It came more than a month after she was criticised by federal MPs and the NSW premier for leading a chant using the phrase at a rally against Israeli President Isaac Herzog during his visit to Australia.
“Globalise the Intifada” is a contentious phrase that the state government has been considering outlawing under revised hate speech laws.
The word “intifada” means “shaking off” in Arabic and has been used to refer to two periods of violent Palestinian protest against Israel.
Members of the Jewish community have described it as a hateful call for violence.
Sexual assault support services:NSW Health Sexual Assault Services  NSW Sexual Violence Helpline on 1800 424 017NSW Victims Services on 1800 633 0631800RESPECT national helpline on 1800 737 732Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service on 1800 211 028Bravehearts (support for child sexual abuse survivors) on 1800 272 831Child Protection Helpline on 132 111MARS Australia (for men affected by rape and sexual abuse) on (07) 3857 1222National Survivors Foundation on 1300 124 433Full Stop Australia on 1800 385 578.
Ms Tame also responded to claims she had been selective in her outrage and accusations she had never spoken on behalf of women believed to have been sexually assaulted during the attacks on October 7, 2023.
United Nations officials in 2024 found there were reasonable grounds to believe conflict-related sexual violence — including rape and gang-rape — occurred at several locations during Hamas’s October 7 attacks on Israel.
“I’m not going to sink to the level of entertaining any kind of propaganda,” she said.
“Those things have been debunked.
“Awful things are being perpetrated by both sides … This is not selective outrage. I’m outraged by all of the violence,” she said.
In the interview, Ms Tame rejected accusations she had been selective in her outrage. (ABC News: Marcus Stimson)
In a statement to social media, the Israeli embassy in Australia accused Ms Tame of losing her “moral compass”.
“When you find yourself denying documented sexual violence, turning victims into perpetrators, and drawing false moral equivalences just to fit an anti-Israel or anti-Jewish narrative, you’ve lost your moral compass,” the Embassy of Israel said in a statement posted to X.
Ms Tame declined to comment when approached by ABC News.
Jewish group suggests sit-down with Tame
Lynda Ben-Menashe responded to Ms Tame’s comments. (ABC News: Victoria Pengilley)
The National Council of Jewish Women of Australia’s Lynda Ben-Menashe said Ms Tame’s comments were “deeply upsetting”.
“I really have always admired Grace Tame and her fearless advocacy for victims of sexual violence,” she told ABC Radio Sydney on Tuesday.
“She was a true feminist in believing all women and that is why it’s so disappointing and shocking that suddenly she is not believing all women.
“I’d be really happy to sit down with Grace and have a conversation about this. I’m sure I’ve got a lot to learn from her, but I think she might have something to learn from us, as well.”
In her interview on Monday, Ms Tame said she advocated for the safety of all.
“I am a human rights activist who advocates for the safety of all human beings, no matter their background, whether they are Jewish, whether they are Muslim, whether they are Christian, whether they are atheists,” she said.
“I do not dismiss any of it, no matter who the perpetrator is and no matter who the victim is,” she said.
“As someone who has been raped multiple times as a child myself … I have seen pretty horrendous things that human beings are capable of.”