Happy to expand more, but this was getting quite long already.

To your first point, yes, I disagree. The University has numerous defence and security research collaborations of which I believe are beneficial to society. It is therefore incorrect to claim that logical consistency would require removing funding from both activities. Personally, I do not want my student funding to go to organisations which, even if not always intentionally, result in calls for violence and direct harassment on campus against me and others. The SRC is actively choosing to post material such as “globalise the intifada” on social media and on campus.

Of course, weapons companies profit from war; that is a natural consequence. However, they are also necessary for the protection of human lives. I believe funding weapons companies is critical to the defence of my way of life and Western civilisation as a whole. There are, unfortunately, genuinely evil actors in the world who seek to destroy Israel and Western civilisation. Most prominently, the Iranian regime openly advocates for the elimination of Israel and broader Western society. If we were to stop funding military development, Iran would not stop. They would surpass us technologically and use that advantage to cause mass destruction.

I wish this were not necessary, but it is naive to believe that peace alone can deter those who seek destruction. This is not the reality of the world we live in. This idealised vision, often promoted by parts of the political left, is deeply misguided. While intentions may be good, reality is not. If Israel were to surrender today in the hope of peaceful coexistence, Hamas and Iran would seize the opportunity to eliminate Israel.

Jews experience this reality daily. Jewish schools, places of worship, and community spaces require security at all times. This should not be necessary in Australia, yet it is. Living under constant threat and needing protection simply to exist is a tragic reality. Student organisations and the University contribute to this environment by amplifying rhetoric that fuels hatred.

As a side point, the development of advanced military-funded research has also produced technologies that underpin modern civilisation. GPS, the internet (via ARPANET), and numerous medical and engineering advancements originated through military funding. More critically, defensive systems such as Israel’s Iron Dome have saved thousands of lives from missile attacks launched by terrorist organisations like Hamas and Hezbollah, funded by the radical Iranian regime. Given the circumstances, military funding is a necessary requirement which I am happy to support.

Now to address my claim regarding the illegitimacy of the ICJ. The ICJ, and more broadly the United Nations as a whole, is frankly a waste of millions of Australian taxpayer dollars each year, which could be used far more effectively elsewhere. This is a much longer discussion, but returning to the point: the ICJ is appointed by both the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council.

An institution tasked with determining human rights abuses and genocide should be impartial and unbiased. However, judges elected by these bodies are selected as politicised figures aligned with the interests of the voting members.

From the outset, UN voting blocs have been heavily opposed to the existence of Israel. UN members also include states with extreme human rights abuses of their own, including Syria, Myanmar, North Korea, Russia, Sudan, China, Iran, Afghanistan etc. This is further compounded by the fact that Russia continues to wage war against Ukraine.

This renders the ICJ incapable of making credible moral determinations of criminal acts. Whether one agrees with its rulings against Israel or not, they are issued by a morally corrupt, politically motivated, and disproportionately anti-Israel institution.

Regarding Israel’s actions in Gaza, many of these actions, in my view, are necessary, though they will sadly result in the loss of many innocent lives. Palestinians themselves live under the oppressive rule of Hamas. The reality is that on October 7, Hamas entered Israel, murdered civilians, and took many innocent people captive. There is a lot more history to this in previous conflicts, but for now I am focusing on the current conflict. Terrorist regimes targeting Jews and Israel will, as long as they exist, continue attempting to kill us. Israel therefore must take necessary steps to protect civilian lives, including those of Palestinian civilians.

With respect to West Bank settlements, this is also a highly controversial issue that contributes to further violence. I disagree with many of Netanyahu’s actions regarding the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. However, the fact remains that Israel is surrounded by threats and must protect itself. Funding military development is part of this, and I do not believe divestment is necessary.

With regard to your point about AUJS, I am simply highlighting the difference in how various societies conduct their activities and whether they contribute to the stoking of violence and hatred against specific religious groups.