Students supportive of Israel have accused university activists for Palestine of having a wider agenda besides supporting the Middle Eastern people.
On May 22, “Unimelb for Palestine” said it would disband its tents on the South Lawn and Arts West building if the institution disclosed its funding arrangements with weapons corporations, including Lockheed Martin, Boeing and BAE Systems, within a month.
It also said it would continue to campaign to ensure the university divests from and takes a stand against “Israel’s genocide against Palestinians.”
The dismantling of the tents was welcome news for Jewish students who wanted to continue studying without being subject to discrimination on campus.
Feeling Unsafe
Gillard Goodman, 18 and an engineering student at Monash University, admits walking around his institution’s grounds with an Israeli flag draped over his shoulders still makes him nervous about being verbally or physically attacked.“Among all Jewish students I know, there’s a growing feeling of isolation among the community where they feel unheard at universities,” he told The Epoch Times.
“I’ve got a few friends who have started taking all their classes online because they don’t feel safe at uni.
Pro-Palestine Activists Clearing Out
Dana Alshaer, from Unimelb for Palestine, told a media conference last week, “The university’s decision is the result of eight months of pressure to disclose and divest.”Participants in the protest at the University of Melbourne have refused repeated requests for comment from The Epoch Times.
On X the group wrote on May 24 that, “While we might be packing up our sit-in and encampment for now, this will always be Mahmoud’s Hall, in honour of all of the students who have been martyred in Gaza.”
“We will not stop, we will not rest, until the University of Melbourne divests!”
Student Says the Movement is Not Purely About Palestine
Meanwhile, a fellow student, Josh, 19, a commerce and finance student at Monash University, believes the encampment was a deeper issue.“When it’s being run by organisations such as the Socialist Alternative who’ve been banned for being anti-semitic on this campus, it doesn’t fill you with much of a sense that they’re there for the right reasons,” he told The Epoch Times.
“But they’re not there to support Palestinian statehood–they’re there to show their dislike for Jewish people, western society, capitalism, and bringing down the establishment.
“They weren’t vocal on Assad killing a few hundred thousand in Syria and displacing 15 million. They’re not vocal on Boko Haram killing busloads of young girls on the way to school.”
Universities ‘Un-Australian’: Jewish Representative
Australian Jewish Association President David Adler said universities were “un-Australian” for letting the pro-Palestine encampments expand without disciplinary measures.“With only a couple of exceptions, we have a weakness in the leadership on the university campuses at the moment where they’re letting illegal encampments continue,” he said.
“They’ve created an environment in which Jewish students and staff are harassed and intimidated, and don’t feel safe on the campuses.
“It’s not Australia. Australia is a place where everyone should feel safe at an educational establishment without fear of harassment and intimidation.”
Mr. Adler added that activist students felt an affinity with the pro-Palestinian cause because of the anti-western ideology that underpins it.
“Make no mistake, this is a civilisational war. It’s not just Israel versus Hamas,” he said.
