Former Australian of the Year Grace Tame has apologised for comments she made in March that labelled the rape of Israeli women by Hamas during the 7 October attacks as “propaganda” and “debunked.” In an Instagram video posted on Thursday, Tame said her words were “misinterpreted” and that she stands with survivors of sexual violence “everywhere” and “no matter who they are.”
Apology and Clarification
In the video, Tame said, “There’s something I’ve wanted to clarify for a while, which I regret not clarifying sooner. I stand with survivors of sexual violence everywhere, no matter who they are.” She added, “Comments I made on ABC radio in March this year were misinterpreted to mean that I disbelieve Israeli survivors of sexual violence. This is not the case. I always have, and always will stand with survivors of sexual violence.”
Tame referenced Human Rights Watch, stating that the organisation had been unable to find evidence to support the claim that Israeli women were raped en masse on 7 October 2023. However, she said, “I do not deny the legitimate accusations of rape made by individual Israeli women, including accounts of gang rape. I do not hate Israelis. I do not hate Jewish people. I abhor the crimes of the State of Israel.” She continued, “I believe Israeli survivors, I believe Jewish survivors, as I believe all survivors. While the intention of my remarks was not to imply otherwise, I acknowledge and sincerely apologise for any harm their mischaracterisation has caused.”
Reaction from Jewish Community
Lynda Ben-Menashe, president of the National Council of Jewish Women Australia, criticised Tame’s statement, saying it was “not an apology.” In a statement, Ben-Menashe said, “She called Israeli women’s widely proven claims of sexual violence ‘debunked propaganda,’ which added insult to their injury, and fanned the flames of incitement against all Jewish women – and men in this country. Saying she’s sorry for how people interpreted her words is not an apology. It neither rehabilitates her nor reverses the damage her original words did to us.”
Background of the Original Comments
In the March ABC interview, Tame was asked whether she had expressed outrage about Israeli women who were sexually assaulted during the 7 October attacks. She responded, “I’m not going to sink to the level of entertaining any kind of propaganda” and that “those things have been debunked.”
In 2024, the United Nations’ special envoy on sexual violence in conflict concluded there were “reasonable grounds” to believe sexual assaults, including rape and gang-rape, took place in several locations during the 7 October attacks by Hamas. Tame’s comments also drew a rebuke from the Israeli embassy in Canberra, which accused her in a social media post of losing her “moral compass.”
The ABC’s ombudsman’s office reported receiving 145 complaints after Tame’s interview, with an additional four raising “distinct but similar matters.”
