Academic Randa Abdel-Fattah wishes for ‘end of Israel and of US empire’

The latest social media post from Randa Abdel-Fattah, a recipient of a $870,269 taxpayer-funded research grant, adds to her several controversies.

Randa Abdel-Fattah, pictured earlier this year, and a post to social media where she wishes for the 'end of Israel'.

Macquarie University anti-Israel academic Randa Abdel-Fattah has publicly wished for 2025 to “be the end of Israel” and for the ­“abolishment of the death cult of Zionism”.

Dr Abdel-Fattah is a recipient of a $870,269 research grant from the taxpayer-funded Australian Research Council, funding that the Coalition has previously demanded should be clawed back.

Opposition education spokeswoman Sarah Henderson said it was “inexcusable” that the Albanese government had not acted in relation to the “anti-Jewish hatred espoused” by Dr Abdel-Fattah, and her latest social media post was “more evidence of Education Minister Jason Clare’s continuing failure to stamp out anti-Semitism on university campuses”.

Mr Clare, when approached for comment, said “there is no place for the poison of anti-Semitism and this sort of hate, plain and ­simple”.

Dr Abdel-Fattah’s latest social media post adds to the controversies in which she has previously been embroiled. She led a “kids excursion” to the University of Sydney pro-Palestine encampment protest earlier this year where primary school-aged children led each other in chants of “intifada” and “Israel is a terrorist state”.

She was also one of the people who disseminated a leak of the private contact information of hundreds of Jewish creatives from a WhatsApp group earlier in the year.

May 2025 be the end of Israel. May it be the end of the US-Israeli imperial scourge on humanity. May we see the abolishment of the death cult of Zionism and the end of US empire and finally a world where the slaughter, annihilation and torture of Palestinians is no longer daily… https://t.co/wvw2GdXSgw

— Randa Abdel-Fattah (@RandaAFattah) December 26, 2024

Following the “kids excursion”, Macquarie University said it would investigate whether “a breach of university policy or code of conduct has occurred”.

The ARC in Senate estimates said the incident was “concerning” and it had sought assurances with Macquarie University about the “proper undertaking of research” in line with the ARC’s funding agreement.

However, Dr Abdel-Fattah still has her funding and a position at Macquarie University. A university spokeswoman previously told The Australian it “gave the matter careful consideration and acted in accordance with its policies and procedures”.

In the most recent round of Senate estimates last month, the ARC said its understanding was Macquarie University’s decision was a “confidential matter between the university and (Dr Abdel-Fattah)”.

In her latest social media post, she said: “May 2025 be the end of Israel. May it be the end of the US-Israeli imperial scourge on ­humanity.

“May we see the abolishment of the death cult of Zionism and the end of US empire and finally a world where the slaughter, annihilation and torture of Palestinians is no longer daily routine.

“To achieve that is to snowball collective liberation because the tentacles of Western imperialism oppress and dehumanise us all.

“May every baby slaughtered in Zionism’s genocide haunt you who openly support or acquiesce through your gutless silence.”

Senator Henderson doubled down on calls for Dr Abdel-­Fattah’s ARC funding to be rescinded. “Australian taxpayers should not be funding activism and hate speech under the guise of so-called research,” she told The Australian. “By failing to demonstrate moral courage and cancel this $870,000 ARC grant, Labor is emboldening the activists.

“Mr Clare is proving to be Australia’s weakest education minister in history.”

A Macquarie University spokes­woman said the university “does not tolerate unlawful discrimination, vilification, threats or incitement of violence on grounds of race or religion”.

“The university is aware of comments made on social media by a member of its staff that have caused concern and distress among some members of the ­community.

“Macquarie University has policies and procedures in place to balance its commitments both to providing a safe and welcoming environment for all and to lawful free speech and academic ­freedom.

“Where there is found to be a breach of policy, the university will act to address the matter under its policies and procedures.”

Dr Abdel-Fattah has been contacted for comment.