A leading Sydney cardiologist has spread a bizarre conspiracy theory that Israeli intelligence agency Mossad was behind two alleged antisemitic arson attacks in Melbourne and Sydney.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced last week that ASIO had linked the Iranian government to the December 6 firebombing of the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne and the October 20 attack on Lewis’ Continental Kitchen in Bondi Beach.
The announcement led to the expulsion of Iran’s ambassador to Australia.
But Professor Peter Macdonald, a cardiologist at St Vincent’s Hospital and world-renowned heart transplant pioneer, told a public forum he was deeply sceptical of the official account.
‘I thought it was a no brainer that these were Mossad-engineered events,’ Professor Macdonald said.
‘Am I being totally naive, or has the lobby taken over ASIO as well?’
His remarks were met with applause from sections of the audience.
Professor Macdonald is one of Australia’s most prominent cardiologists.
Peter Macdonald (pictured) said that it was a ‘no brainer’ that Mossad ‘engineered’ the attacks
In 2014, Professor Macdonald lead a world-first breakthrough in heart transplantation, when his team revived and successfully transplanted a heart that had stopped beating for 20 minutes.
The comments were made during a panel event featuring journalists Wendy Bacon and Yaakov Aharon, former Greens candidate Hannah Thomas, and criminal lawyer and podcaster Nick Hanna.
Thomas made headlines in June after sustaining a serious eye injury during a scuffle with police at an anti-Israel demonstration in Belmore.
‘I think the first thing we need to acknowledge is that we can’t say with certainty who is behind these attacks,’ Mr Hanna replied to Professor Macdonald.
‘But there are very good reasons to doubt the official narrative. No evidence has been made public, we’re simply being asked to trust Albanese, who is trusting ASIO. That’s a problem.’
Mr Hanna also questioned the source of the intelligence, pointing out that ASIO chief Mike Burgess had hinted it came from a foreign partner.
‘Israel has effectively taken credit for it. So we know the intel is coming from Israel, which has an obvious interest in blaming this on Iran.’
Mr Hanna also said that the claims by the Government about Iran were made to build ‘manufactured consent’ for Australia’s decision last week to list Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation.
Peter Macdonald was attending a panel critical of an upcoming Summit Against Antisemetism,
Mr Aharon meanwhile made the suggestion that the event was a false flag, saying there was ‘significant precedent’ to say that Israel targeted synagogues for ‘their own political purposes.’
They were also critical of the upcoming 2025 Australian Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism, which begins Wednesday on the Gold Coast.
Hosted by the US-based Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), the event is expected to draw more than 250 local government leaders and community advocates.
Critics of the conference, such as the Jewish Council of Australia have accused it of pushing a ‘one-sided political agenda’, as well as ‘silencing legitimate criticism of Israel by conflating it with antisemitism’.
They also have concerns related to CAM, which they say is funded by ‘Republican mega-donors and is well-known for smearing pro-Palestine academics.’
They also say CAM has links to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation which they said is ‘complicit in the starvation and murder of Palestinians.’
The Jewish Council of Australia has called on mayors and councillors to boycott the event, warning it aims to ‘push pro-Israel propaganda under the guise of combating antisemitism and will stifle free speech.’
CAM meanwhile has rejected these claims, saying the event is necessary.
Peter Macdonald is a cardiologist based at the St Vincent’s Hospital in Darlinghurst in Sydney
‘In the past year, more than 2,000 antisemitic incidents have been recorded across Australia. This unprecedented surge makes clear that the Jewish community is under increasing pressure,’ a CAM spokesperson told Daily Mail.
‘The recent arson attacks are a stark reminder that Jewish Australians are not being afforded the safety and security they deserve. This summit is about ensuring every Australian, regardless of faith or background, can live free from fear.’ they said.
Daily Mail contacted Professor Macdonald for comment.
