Arsen Ostrovsky

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Arsen Ostrovsky
Born
Odessa, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
CitizenshipIsrael, Australia
Alma materUniversity of Wollongong
OccupationsLawyer, activist, journalist
AwardsBonei Zion Prize (2018)

Arsen Ostrovsky (Hebrew: ארסן אוסטרובסקי)[1][2] is a Ukrainian-born[3] Israeli activist,[4] freelance journalist,[5] and a lawyer,[6] specialising in international law and human rights.[2]

Ostrovsky has been a public advocate for Israel for over a decade. He advocated on behalf of Israel during the Gaza war, including South Africa's genocide case against Israel in the International Criminal Court. Until recently he was the CEO of the International Legal Forum. In November 2025 he moved to Australia to be the Australian head of the Sydney office of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC).[7]

Early life

Ostrovsky was born in Odessa, in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, within the Soviet Union.[8][3][9] He then grew up in Sydney, Australia and graduated from University of Wollongong in New South Wales.[3][9] The Jewish News Syndicate erroneously reported that Ostrovsky was born in Australia.[10][8] He practiced law in Australia and the United States.[11] In 2012, Ostrovsky "made aliyah" to Israel.[3]

Career

He made Aliyah to Israel in 2012. He and his wife were married in Jaffa.[12]

Ostrovsky served as the Director of Research (c. 2013)[13] and later as the Executive Director of the Israeli-Jewish Congress (IJC), a role he held from before 2017 through at least 2018.[14]

Ostrovsky served as the CEO of the International Legal Forum (ILF), an Israel-based NGO, from 2012 until recently. In this capacity, he has appeared before the Knesset as an invited guest, including on 29 January 2024 to discuss antisemitism.[15]

2021 Israel–Palestine crisis

He spoke to media during the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis, as the CEO of the International Legal Forum and an "expert on digital politics".[16]

Lawsuit Against University of California, Berkeley

In November 2022, Ostrovsky and another attorney, Gabriel Groisman, filed a complaint against University of California, Berkeley with the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR).[a] OCR opened a formal investigation in December 2022.[18] Their complaint was in response to Berkeley Law Student for Justice in Palestine (Berkeley LSJP)[19] announcement on 21 August 2022 that nine student organizations adopted a "pro-Palestine bylaw" and vowed[20] not to "invite speakers that have expressed and continued to hold views or host/sponsor/promote events in support of Zionism, the apartheid state of Israel, and the occupation of Palestine". A wide array of student organizations signed the Law Students for Justice in Palestine at Berkeley Law pledge.[b] This pledge supported the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.[21]

Gaza war

7 October 2023 attacks

Ostrovsky's own experience of the 7 October 2023 attacks in Israel was sheltering from rocket fire in the stairwell of his Tel Aviv apartment block.[22] Speaking to Indian television he called the attack "unprovoked".[23]

Ottawa conference and cockroach cartoon

In late 2023, Ostrovsky was a speaker at the Antisemitism: Face It, Fight It conference in Ottawa, Canada.[24] His appearance at the conference was criticised by Independent Jewish Voices Canada, a pro-diaspora Jewish advocacy group.[24] A cartoon posted on Ostrovsky's Twitter account to advertise the conference depicted Hamas militants as cockroaches, with Palestinian colours, being crushed under an IDF boot. The cartoon was placed under restriction by Twitter for its use of insect imagery, and Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East called it an example of "textbook Nazi propaganda".[25]

Gazawood Twitter account

In April 2025, FakeReporter reported that Ostrovsky was one of 30 prominent Twitter accounts promoting content from Gazawood, an Israeli Twitter account which attempts to discredit Palestinians by claiming they are exaggerating or faking their casualties.[26]

Criticism of South Africa

During South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Criminal Court, Ostrovsky accused South Africa of committing blood libel and of being the "legal arm of Hamas".[6]

In an interview with Mishpacha magazine, Ostrovsky said, “Essentially, it is no more than a blood libel and act of lawfare, in which South Africa is willingly serving as pro bono counsel for the Iranian regime and Hamas”.[27]

Ostrovsky Stanislav Pavlovschi, a Moldovan politician from the Dignity and Truth Platform, wrote a January 2024 article for The Hill that said:

In baselessly leveling the charge of genocide against Israel, all that South Africa is doing is engaging in a form of lawfare as a proxy of the Iranian regime and Hamas. Furthermore, South Africa is only diminishing real acts of genocide, such as those that occurred in the Holocaust, as well as against Armenians, Yazidis, in Rwanda, Darfur and Syria more recently.

— Arsen Ostrovsky and Stanislav Pavlovschi, Israel is not committing genocide — but Hamas is, The Hill.[28]

Gaza Strip population statistics controversy

In December 2024, Ostrovsky and IDF military officer John Spencer co-authored an opinion piece in Newsweek criticizing Amnesty International's characterization of Israel's actions in Gaza as genocide, which they described as "no less than a blood libel".[29] The article originally stated:

To demonstrate just how utterly ludicrous Amnesty's accusation of genocide is, one only needs to see that, according to the CIA World Factbook, the population in Gaza has actually increased 2 percent in the last year. This is the very opposite of seeking to destroy, in whole or in part or in any way, a group of people.[29]

In January 2025, Newsweek removed this sentence, issuing a statement that read:

This article previously stated the CIA World FactBook claims the Gaza's population increased in 2024. That statement has been removed.[29]

Separately, the Australian Associated Press FactCheck team analyzed social media claims that Gaza's population had increased by 2 percent according to the CIA World Factbook and determined them to be false, noting that the figures were based on U.S. Census Bureau projections from August 2023, before the outbreak of conflict.[30]

Writing about the Gaza genocide in 2025

In a September 2025 article he wrote for The Jerusalem Post he maintained his stance that Israel was not guilty of genocide in Gaza.[31]

Move to Australia

He lived in Israel for 13 years before moving to Australia at the end of November 2025.[32][33] He is now the head of the Sydney office of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC).[7] Before his move to Australia, he wrote an article for right-wing Australian newspaper The Daily Telegraph saying that Australia should "Blame UN, not Israel, for holding up needed food aid in Gaza".[34] When interviewing Ostrovsky, Jerusalem Post editor Zvika Klein compared the organisation to APAC in the United States, and Ostrovsky replied, "its primary missions is the combating of anti-semitism, but also supporting Israel and the Australia Israel alliance".[35] In a reflection on the Bondi attack, one of his friends in Israel opined that, " I see his new role as his miluim, his IDF reserve duty".[36][37]

Wounded by ISIS-aligned Australian terrorists

During the mass shooting, at Archer Park, Bondi Beach, East Sydney, a bullet "grazed" Ostrovsky's head, he sustained only superficial injuries but allegedly lost a life-threatening a quantity of blood.[5] His injury was reported internationally, in Hebrew, English, and Russian.[38]

After he was grazed by a bullet in the Bondi Beach shooting, several media reports described him as having also "survived" the 7 October 2023 attacks in Israel (see above).[5]

In an interview with The Jerusalem Post, Ostrovsky described the scene following the attack as "like a war zone" and he referred to the gunmen as assassins.[39]

Ostrovsky and Syrian Australian Ahmed al-Ahmed were the first two wounded survivors of the Bondi Beach shooting to waive their right to name suppression in the prosecution of alleged ISIS terrorist Naveed Akram.[1]

Writing and media appearances

Newspapers and magazines

Opinion articles

Television interviews

Social media

Ostrovsky has one of the most followed Israeli Twitter accounts. In 2016, Jewish Telegraphic Agency included him on their list of the '25 most influential people' on 'Jewish Twitter', ranked 16th.[40][41] In 2025, The Jerusalem Post included him on their list of "50 Most Influential Jews", ranked 45th in a group entry of "seven pro-Israel influencers" that also included Gal Gadot (Israel actress and model), Siggy Flicker (Real Housewives of New Jersey), Hen Mazzig (social media influencer), Hillel Neuer (Executive director of UN Watch), Noa Tishby (Israeli actress and model), and Eyal Yakoby (social media strategist).[42][43]

Contributions to books

Following the 14 December 2025, Islamic State-inspired terrorist attack at Bondi Beach in East Sydney, Australia, Ostrovsky's brother-in-law, Rabbi Menachem Creditor, published We Will Prevail: Voices, Fury and Faith After Bondi, an anthology of essays, poems and firsthand reflections brought together in the immediate wake of the antisemitic terror attack.[44] The anthology, which includes a searing foreword by Ostrovsky, as a survivor of the attack.[7]

See also

Notes

  1. pursuant to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964[SP1].[17]
  2. Including: Berkeley Law Muslim Student Association, Middle Eastern and North African Law Students Association, Womxn of Color Collective, Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, Queer Caucus, Community Defense Project, Women of Berkeley Law, and Law Students of African Descent.[21]

References

  1. נוויד אכרם, המואשם בירי בחוף בונדאי ,הופיע לשימוע ראשון בבית המשפט [Naveed Akram, accused of shooting on Bondi Beach, appeared for first court hearing]. SBS Language. Australian Associated Press. 17 February 2026. צו איסור פרסום של בית המשפט מאפשר לנפגעים ולשורדים לבחור אם ומתי לחשוף את סיפורם בפומבי ולהצטרף לשורדים אחרים שכבר נודעו לציבור, כגון ארסן אוסטרובסקי וגיבור האירוע, בעל חנות הטבק אחמד אל אחמד, שהצליח לנטרל את אביו של אכרם במהירות. [A court gag order allows victims and survivors to choose whether and when to reveal their stories publicly and join other survivors who have already become public, such as Arsen Ostrovsky and the hero of the event, tobacco shop owner Ahmed Al-Ahmed, who managed to quickly neutralize Akram's father.]
  2. "he: ארסן אוסטרובסקי" [Arsen Ostrovsky]. Bonei Zion Prize (in Hebrew). Nefesh B'Nefesh. 19 October 2025.
  3. Narunsky, Gareth (1 May 2025). "Australia's A-list advocate". The Australian Jewish News www.australianjewishnews.com. Archived from the original on 15 May 2025.
  4. Ostrovsky 2026.
  5. Pandey, Ria (18 December 2025). "October 7 survivor Arsen Ostrovsky describes 'pure evil' of Bondi massacre". Mr Ostrovsky, head of a pro-Israel advocacy group, had only been in Australia for two weeks before the terror attack.
  6. "SA-Israel genocide case | Israeli Lawyer Arsen Ostrovsky weighs in on the ruling". www.youtube.com/@sabcdigitalnews. 26 January 2024.
  7. Ostrovsky, Arsen (1 January 2026). "What I Learned on Bondi Beach". www.thefp.com.
  8. Arsen Ostrovsky on X @Ostrov_A
  9. Narunsky 2025 "Born in Odessa, Soviet Union, Ostrovsky and his family came to Australia as “refuseniks” in 1987, settling in Sydney's eastern suburbs. Following his public schooling he graduated from Wollongong University. He made aliyah in 2012, and now lives in Tel Aviv with his wife and two young daughters."
  10. Lidor, Canaan (14 December 2025). "Once a haven, Australia has Jews 'questioning their future'". JNS.org. Archived from the original on 16 December 2025.
  11. "25 ViZionaries: Arsen Ostrovsky - No. 8". The Jerusalem Post. Israel. 1 October 2024 – via JPost.com. He previously practiced law in Australia and the US.
  12. Elkana Bar Eitan (14 December 2025). "From Israel to Bondi Beach: Terror found my friend, Arsen Ostrovsky (14 Dec 2025, 6:17 PM)". Israel: The Times of Israel.
  13. "Arsen Ostrovsky – Director of Research". www.en.ijc.org.il. Israeli Jewish Congress. Archived from the original on 27 November 2015.
  14. "Arsen Ostrovsky: Archives". The Forward. Archived from the original on 6 February 2023.
  15. ישיבת ועדה של הכנסת ה-25 מתאריך 29/01/2024 "אנטישמיות ב-2023, על רקע מלחמת חרבות ברזל" [Committee meeting of the 25th Knesset dated 29/01/2024 "Antisemitism in 2023, Against the Background of a War of Iron Swords"]. oknesset.org. Open Knesset. Archived from the original on 23 February 2026.
  16. ישראל השבוע – "תדרוך בכל שעתיים": המאבק על דעת הקהל בשיאו [Israel This Week: "Briefing Every Two Hours": The Battle for Public Opinion at Its Peak]. israelhayom.co.il. 20 May 2021.
  17. Stutman, Gabe (22 November 2022). "Civil rights claim accuses Berkeley Law of discrimination against Jews". J. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  18. Deutch, Gabby (15 December 2022). "Dept. of Education to probe UC Berkeley Law School over antisemitism allegations". Jewish Insider. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  19. "Letter: The Dangerous Myopia of Dean Erwin Chermerinsky". Boulder Jewish News. 21 October 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  20. "Berkeley Law's "Jew-Free Zone" Controversy". Reason.com. 7 October 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  21. "The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Campaign (BDS)". ADL. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  22. "ILF CEO Arsen Ostrovsky interviewed on Sunrise Australia about the situation in Israel". Sunrise Australia. Australia via Israel: Channel 7 Sunrise Australia. 12 October 2023 – via ILF CEO.
  23. "TV interview: 'An Unprovoked & Pre-Meditated Attack': Arsen Ostrovsky Human Rights Attorney | Israel-Gaza Attack". www.youtube.com/@indiatoday. India Today (TV channel). 7 October 2023 – via YouTube.
  24. https://www.ijvcanada.org/antisemitism-conference-in-ottawa-platforms-racists/
  25. "'Palestinians as cockroaches' Cartoon Should Prompt Boycott of Antisemitism Conference". Canada: Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME). 16 October 2023.
  26. Berkane, Louise (11 April 2025). "Gazawood: Israeli NGO links account to large-scale disinformation". Forbidden Stories. Archived from the original on 31 July 2025. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
  27. Lipszyc, Yaakov (9 January 2024). "The Current: Do Jewish Lives Matter? Blood libel in the Hague: Human rights attorney Arsen Ostrovsky dissects the legal threat". Mishpacha Magazine. Archived from the original on 9 January 2024.
  28. "Israel is not committing genocide — but Hamas is". The Hill. 4 January 2024.
  29. Ostrovsky, Arsen; Spencer, John (5 December 2024). "How Amnesty International Became a Joke | Opinion". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 20 July 2025. Retrieved 20 February 2026.
  30. Atkinson, Kate (4 December 2024). "Gaza population 'growth' projections predate recent Israel-Palestine war". www.aap.com.au. AAP. Retrieved 20 February 2026.
  31. "Why claims of Israeli genocide in Gaza are legally false". The Jerusalem Post. Israel: The Jerusalem Post. 5 September 2025. ISSN 0792-822X.
  32. Ostrovsky 2026: "As a human rights lawyer and activist who lived in Israel for 13 years before relocating to Australia to take up a senior leadership position within the Jewish community,"
  33. "What I Learned on Bondi Beach - by Arsen Ostrovsky". thefp.com.
  34. "Blame UN, not Israel, for holding up needed food aid in Gaza". Daily Telegraph. Sydney. 4 August 2025.
  35. Klein, Ostrovsky & Jacobs 2025 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFKleinOstrovskyJacobs2025 (help): "(Ostrovsky 4m 55s) ...Australia hadn't been on our agenda, so to speak, earlier in the year until uh, you know, and the reason we we came here is because I was approached to take up a senior leadership role in the Jewish community with the with the organization AJAC, which is the Australian and Israel Jewish Affairs Council, which is one of the leading Jewish organizations here in Australia. (Zvika Klein 5m 19s) It's kind of they probably don't like when it's said, but it's kind of like uh uh Australian version of APAC. (Ostrovsky) Well, it's it's it's very unique in the in the work it does, but it's, you know, it's one of its primary missions is the combating of anti-semitism, but also supporting Israel and the Australia Israel alliance. So um you know so this this is the primary reason that we we came here... (5m 50s)"
  36. Elkana Bar Eitan (14 December 2025). "From Israel to Bondi Beach: Terror found my friend, Arsen Ostrovsky (14 Dec 2025, 6:17 PM)". Israel: The Times of Israel.
  37. Elkana Bar Eitan 2025 harvnb error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFElkana_Bar_Eitan2025 (help): "Before hugging Arsen goodbye, I told him how proud I was of him, and that I see his new role as his miluim, his IDF reserve duty. Just as we Israelis are fighting terrorists who seek to eliminate Jews in Israel, he is going to Sydney to confront those spreading hate and threatening Jewish life in Australia..."
  38. "Теракт в Сиднее на Хануку Двое нападавших открыли стрельбу на пляже. Погибли более 10 человек. Одного стрелка обезоружил прохожий" [Hanukkah Terrorism Attack in Sydney: Two assailants opened fire on a beach, killing more than 10 people. One shooter was disarmed by a passerby.]. meduza.io and Newsru.co.il (in Russian). Riga, Latvia and Israel: Meduza. Meduza, quoting Newsru.co.il. 14 December 2025. По данным издания Newsru.co.il, среди пострадавших — председатель совета Израиль — Австралия Арсен Островский, его ранили в голову. [According to Newsru.co.il, among the injured was the chairman of the Israel-Australia Council, Arsen Ostrovsky, who was wounded in the head.]
  39. {{harvnb| Klein | Ostrovsky | Jacobs |2025| q = (Ostrovsky 6m 41s) on the 14th, it was it was like a war zone. Um, except it wasn't the Middle East. It was Bondi Beach, Australia. Um, something I thought was unimaginable... (Klein 9m 03s) Or did they or were they at their backs to to you? (Ostrovsky) They did not see me and I'm grateful they did not see in that moment. It was only afterwards that I found out that my wife and children would have ran right past me or very close to me without knowing where I was. Now, in hindsight, they were extraordinarily lucky because they would have been in the line of fire of the assassins." (edited for clarity)
  40. "Arsen Ostrovsky". Nefesh B'Nefesh - Bonei Zion Prize. 19 October 2025. In March 2016, JTA named Arsen one of their '25 Most Influential People on Jewish Twitter', for his expertise and leadership in the field of Digital Diplomacy and Israel advocacy on-line.
  41. Friedman, Gabe (27 March 2016). "The 25 most influential people on 'Jewish Twitter' – From Benjamin Netanyahu to Lena Dunham, when these people tweet, Jews listen". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 16. Arsen Ostrovsky, human rights lawyer and journalist, @Ostrov_A
  42. "50 Most Influential Jews 2025". The Jerusalem Post. Israel. 2025. Archived from the original on 21 September 2025. 45. Gal Gadot, Arsen Ostrovsky, Siggy Flicker, Hen Mazzig, Hillel Neuer, Noa Tishby, Eyal Yakoby: From Hollywood stars to human-rights lawyers, seven pro-Israel influencers share a commitment
  43. Perets, Shir (21 September 2025). "No. 45: Gal Gadot and other powerful pro-Israel voices". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 6 February 2026 – via JPost.com.
  44. Klein, Rob (29 January 2026). "We Will Prevail: voices, fury and faith after Bondi". J-Wire. Retrieved 1 February 2026.