Sky News Australia news anchor vows to back Israel despite numerous death threats

Sky News Australia stands out as one of the few international media outlets that are sympathetic toward Israel amid the ongoing conflict with Iran and its terror proxies Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Jewish-born Australian Sky News anchor Sharri Markson said she will continue to share Israel’s side of the story, despite receiving multiple death threats.

“I’ve received many death threats, but it’s my duty to tell Israel’s side of the story,” Markson said in an interview with the Israeli news outlet Ynet. She has already conducted interviews with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the former Israeli prime ministers Naftali Bennett and Ehud Olmert but says she is mostly inspired by the spirit and resilience of Israeli citizens affected by the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas invasion and attack.

Markson traveled to Israel last week to be part of the commemoration events.

"The experience was deeply moving. There isn’t one moment that stands out; it’s a collection of moments. Every interview with the family of a victim or hostage was difficult. Facing the horrors here, in person, wasn’t easy. But it’s a mission. There are networks and outlets that aren’t telling Israel’s side of the story, and as someone who stands with Israel and wants to explain your story to the world, it’s my duty to do so," she vowed.

She recalled her first-hand experience of a rocket siren amid an interview filmed for the Oct. 7 anniversary in Yarkon Park in Tel Aviv.

"It was obviously terrifying. It was my first siren, and that's not something you experience in Australia – it's very foreign to us," Markson explained. She interviewed Omri Shifroni, a survivor of the Oct. 7 attack, Shifroni lost family members and friends when Hamas terrorists attacked Kibbutz Be’eri, one of the rural Israeli communities close to the Gaza border.

"That day was already tense with fears of terror attacks. I had anticipated it could happen since the moment I landed here, I had the Home Front Command app on my phone. But when it actually happens to you for the first time, it's such a shock. It's the furthest thing from the safe Australia I know," she added.

Markson admitted she was initially surprised to learn that most Israelis support the ongoing war that the Iranian-led proxy in the Gaza Strip unleashed upon Israel over a year ago.

"The biggest gap I noticed is that while people around the world and in Australia are loudly calling for a cease-fire, here in Israel, I didn’t meet anyone who didn’t support the war, regardless of their political views. It was surprising, but I get it – you don’t want to live in fear of Hamas and Hezbollah."

In November, when Hamas released some 100 hostages in exchange for convicted Palestinian terrorists, Markson blasted some journalists for equating innocent kidnapped Israeli civilians including women and children with imprisoned individuals who had committed terrorist acts against Israel.

Markson praised Sky News Australia for permitting her to express her pro-Israel views, as well as being committed to fair reporting about the Jewish state’s right to defend itself against the Iranian-led aggression.

"There is no equivalence here between the criminals held by Israel who have committed serious crimes… and the innocent women, children and babies," Markson stated.

"Every host at our station has their own viewpoint, and they’re free to express it. Personally, as a Jew, from day one, like all Jews around the world, I’ve felt the horror you’re experiencing here in Israel as if it were my own. I’m glad my network allows me to express my views fully – I couldn’t work for a channel that takes an anti-Israel stance."

Sky News Australia presenter, Rita Panahi of Iranian-descent, and host Erin Molan have also been vocal in defending Israel's right to defend itself against terrorism.