In Defence of Israel and Western Civilisation

On Thursday 26 March 2026, at a B’nai B’rith Victoria event in Melbourne, I was afforded the honour of delivering the annual Human Rights Oration. This address sits within a distinguished tradition of speakers who have shaped public discourse on human rights, antisemitism, and the responsibilities of liberal democracies. In 2025, the oration was delivered by Alex Ryvchin, Co-Chief Executive Officer of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry—an influential voice in articulating the challenges facing Australia’s Jewish community and the broader Western world. In 2024, the address was delivered by Andrew Butt SC, one of Australia’s leading barristers and a distinguished authority in commercial and property law, bringing intellectual rigour and legal insight to the platform.

Founded in 1843, B’nai B’rith is one of the world’s oldest Jewish service organisations, with a proud legacy of defending Jewish life, advancing human rights, and strengthening democratic values. For more than 180 years, it has stood as a bulwark against hatred and indifference—mobilising communities, advocating for justice, and reminding us that civil society endures only when individuals step forward with conviction and agency.

What follows is the address as delivered on the evening. It is offered in full, without embellishment or revision, in the belief that clarity matters in a time of confusion. The themes explored—antisemitism, civilisational confidence, moral responsibility, and the defence of Israel—are not abstract.

They are immediate, practical, and consequential. This oration was intended not merely to describe the moment we are living through, but to help orient those willing to engage with it—and to encourage a shift from observation to action.

Human Rights Oration: “Israel and the Defence of Western Civilisation”

B’nai B’rith board members, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, good evening. Thank you to the board of B’nai B’rith for the honour of this oration and award. I receive it with humility and with deep respect for the work your organisation has carried forward for more than 180 years. Defending Jewish life, human rights and democratic values.

Is there any contradiction in recognising a former combat soldier for a human rights award? I think not. In truth, the two are deeply connected. As Pericles reminds us: “freedom is the sure possession of those alone who have the courage to defend it.” And in the words of psalm 144 of the Hebrew Bible: “blessed be the lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle.”

Good intentions, virtue signalling speeches, empty rhetoric or moral claims do not defend a nation or our civilisation. Defence requires resources, clarity — and above all, resolve. Peace and liberty endure only where there are people prepared to defend them — staunch, vigilant and resolute.
History reminds us of this truth. From those who liberated Europe in 1945, to the brave lions and lionesses of the IDF who today stand between monsters to their front and families to their rear. Should a patriotic Non-Jewish Australian hesitate to stand proudly, publicly and unapologetically in defence of Israel and the Jewish people? Absolutely not.

Israel is a frontier democracy on the bleeding edge of our civilisation. I see this. It has unexpectedly become my life’s work to help others see it too. To IDF veterans in this room, thank you. To Jewish Australian families who sustain them. Thank you. You are the best of us. Be strong. Keep being you.
Let me say this clearly and unambiguously: The IDF is the most lawful, ethical and moral military fighting force world history has ever known. Operating in diabolical circumstances. They are winning. We have not yet won.

Ours will not be the generation that witnesses’ swords beaten into ploughshares and spears into pruning hooks—yet that remains our aspiration.

What an extraordinary gathering of Victoria’s finest — indeed, of Australia’s finest. Thank you for being here this evening. Organisations like B’nai B’rith remind us of a simple truth: civil society does not sustain itself automatically. It endures only when people step forward with conviction and agency.

These are difficult times. They are frightening times. But take heart — and keep your chin up. As Mahatma Gandhi reminded us, when confronting great challenges there are no guarantees of success. But there is one certainty: if we do nothing, we will fail. And if we fail, the consequences will not fall on us alone.

The choices we make today shape the world our children will inherit. Which brings us to the heart of this evening’s oration. This is our civilisational moment.

Tonight, I want to do three things.

First, to speak plainly about the civilisational moment confronting the west—and why the surge of antisemitism since October 2023 is not an isolated phenomenon but a warning sign of deeper western decline. Second, to explain why the defence of Israel is inseparable from the defence of the values that underpin free societies. Third, to consider how we must compete — and what that competition looks like in practice through strategy, advocacy and education.

When I consider what we have witnessed in Australia since October 2023 — the chants of “globalise the intifada,” the cries of “death, death to the IDF,” the victim-blaming, and the normalisation of antisemitic rhetoric — I cannot help but conclude that something more profound is unfolding. Something has changed in how we must think about our safety, our responsibilities, and where we must now apply our energy.
And nowhere was that clearer than in the horrifying murder of fifteen people at Bondi—an atrocity that specifically targeted the Australian Jewish community.

Even after that tragedy, we saw further spikes in antisemitic incidents across the country—something I have come to describe as the Louise Adler, Cathy Wilcox or Sarah Ferguson effect. My intuitive sense, however, is not merely anecdotal. It is supported by data meticulously tracked by a friend, Dr Andre Oboler of the online hate prevention institute.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is my professional judgement that we are not yet at rock bottom. That realisation presents each of us a simple choice: act, or be a bystander. I reached my decision on the morning of 10 October 2023, after witnessing on tv what occurred at our Opera House the night before.
My wife and I determined to act. At times this work can feel Sisyphean—like pushing a boulder uphill only to watch it roll back down. But the effort is not futile. Because every time we act—every time we exercise agency and compete—we lighten the burden that would otherwise fall upon the next generation. When I look into the eyes of our five children, I know this work matters.

Over three decades in military service I learned that moments of fear and adversity are inevitable. What matters is having a principle to guide you. My principle is simple: when I find myself on the horns of a dilemma, I will do what in time I will regret less. I call this my guiding heuristic. I chose to do something.

To strategize. To lead. To partner. To collaborate. To build a coherent strategic pipeline of non-Jewish upstanders that will still be combating antisemitism long into tomorrow.

That is the core work of the 2023 foundation. I am recruiting upstanders who can empathise, relate, and help share the burden of defending Israel and western civilisation —because the two are, of course, inseparable.
Today I speak to you as a non-Jewish, secular, politically independent Australian veteran—and an unapologetic Zionist. You, dear friends, are descendants of the Maccabees. I stand in the tradition of the ANZACs. Those picking a fight with us have no appreciation of the hornet’s nest they have stirred up—or the effectiveness of our sting. We will win in the end. And if at times it does not appear so, that simply means we are not yet at the end.
Golda Meir understood this when she said: “we have no plan b.”

Now if the use of “we” by this goy raises an eyebrow, allow me to explain.

After the attacks of nine eleven, I felt American. Like millions across the democratic world, i recognised instinctively that those who brought down the towers were not merely attacking the United States—they were attacking the foundations of the free world.
After October 7, I felt Israeli. I still do.

What I did not expect was how few people across Australia—and across much of the comfortable, complacent and historically illiterate west—felt the same.

We are living in an age of gaslighting and projection of Orwellian proportions—an age in which otherwise intelligent and educated citizens have been hoodwinked into believing that two plus two equals five.
The demographic tide is not in our favour. Many on our side are passing from the scene, while too many emerging from our schools and universities are leaning toward the other side.

But this did not happen overnight. It has been the product of a long march through western institutions—universities, media, bureaucracies and cultural organisations. After Israel’s victory in 1967—when jews had the temerity of winning—jew-hatred mutated and found new expression on the political left. It embedded itself within broader ideological currents — anti-Americanism, anti-westernism and, somewhat absurdly, radical anti-colonial theory alongside radical Islamism.

Over time these ideas fused with newer frameworks—intersectionality, identity politics and social Marxism—creating a narrative ecosystem in which Israel could be portrayed not as a democracy defending itself but as the embodiment of oppression.

Of course, antisemitism exists on the right as well. But while noisy and odious, those bigots rarely command institutional authority.
On the modern left, by contrast, antisemitism is often camouflaged in the language of activism, academia and human rights discourse — promoted by people who believe they occupy the moral high ground. The result is a disturbing inversion. Jewish Australians ostracised, cancelled, harangued, harassed—and more recently, hunted.

Faced with this reality, I sometimes feel as though i am living the words of Dylan Thomas: Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

But the question then becomes: how should we rage? There are only two options. We can rage intelligently. Or unintelligently. I choose the first. I choose strategy.

There is an old truth that remains remarkably durable: If you want to go fast, go alone. But if you want to go far, go together—with the many, the willing and the able.

That is what brings me to this podium tonight. Not to speak to an echo chamber of those already onside. But to offer observations, analysis and practical measures we can take to respond more efficiently, effectively and decisively.

I must say this plainly: I cannot do this without your support. And you cannot do this without my support—and the army of allies I intend to educate, empower and enable. We must work together.

But before we turn to solutions, we must properly frame the problem. In my judgment, Australian society has lost its instinct for danger. We are making dumb choices and taking bad decisions we will come to regret. Let us consider how that happened. In 1992 Francis Fukuyama argued that with the collapse of the Soviet Union, liberal democracy had won the great ideological struggle of the twentieth century. Many in the west believed history’s great conflicts were over.

But while we were congratulating ourselves, other forces were gathering strength—authoritarian regimes, theocratic movements and revolutionary ideologies that reject western civilisation altogether. We shifted our attention from survival and security to lifestyle, identity and self-actualisation. In the process, something essential was lost. Our instinct for danger. And when societies lose their instinct for danger, danger has a habit of arriving—suddenly and violently.

History offers many reminders of this. Here is one. In 1928 the Kellogg–Briand pact was signed with great optimism. Original signatories included the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Japan. Eventually, sixty-two countries adhered to it. Together they pledged to renounce war as an instrument of national policy. Within a decade, Europe then the world, was again in flames. Roughly one-third of world Jewry was murdered. Some sixty to seventy-five million human beings perished. Peace, it turns out, is not preserved by aspiration alone. It requires strength. Deterrence. And the willingness to confront those who seek to destroy it.
Which brings us, inevitably, to Israel. The ancient romans captured this idea in a simple phrase: Si vis pacem, para bellum. If you want peace, prepare for war.

The next point I wish to make concerns a beautiful idea within Jewish ethical tradition: Tikkun Olam — the obligation to help repair the world.
It is a noble aspiration. For generations it has reflected the Jewish commitment to moral responsibility, community, justice and human dignity. But in recent decades, I fear the concept has sometimes been misunderstood—or worse, appropriated.

Too often it has been reduced to a form of moral theatre—passionate declarations, symbolic gestures and ideological certainty—while neglecting the serious questions of power, danger and the darker realities of human nature. Tikkun Olam has been ceded to the likes of Greta Thunberg, Grace Tame and Adam Bandt. Wolves dressed as sheep.

Ladies and gentlemen, this happened on our watch. As a consequence, we are much the poorer for it. As a civilisation and as a society. We must take Tikkun Olam back.

Arnold Toynbee observed that civilisations rarely die from murder. They more often commit suicide. It is my troubling assessment that something similar now confronts us. When I look across the anglosphere, i see elected governments which, in time, may come to be judged as civilisation killers — the United Kingdom, Canada, and closer to home. I do not make this as a political point. I make it as an objective observation. After all, in a democracy, people tend to get the governments we deserve.

Standing firmly against this worrying trend are the United States and Israel — though one would scarcely reach that conclusion if one’s primary source of “truth” were the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the Age or the Sydney Morning Herald. To repair the world, we must first be honest about it. We must recognise that evil exists. That violence exists. Hundreds of individuals residing in Australia are considered of terrorism concern to ASIO. There are actors in this world who do not seek compromise or coexistence, but domination and destruction.

Ladies and gentlemen, we do not need to commit national suicide in order to demonstrate how empathetic we are. Jewish ethical tradition has always been more serious about this reality than many modern western philosophies. The Talmud captures the principle in a stark but practical formulation: “if someone comes to kill you, rise early and kill him first.” This is not a celebration of violence, nor a call to vigilantism in Australia. It is a recognition of responsibility. It is how the ongoing actions in Iran, which began in 1979, ought to be viewed.

Some more Goy chutzpah, if you will permit it. I too believe deeply in that beautiful Jewish teaching from the Talmud: that to save one life is to save an entire world. I am a father and a humanist, and I feel the truth of that in my bones. But that sacred sentiment is rightly directed towards the innocent — towards ten-year-old Matilda; towards beautiful red-haired K’fir, Ariel and mum Shiri Bibas. It is not a sentiment owed to monsters. We should neither recoil from saying so; nor apologise for believing it. That is not cruelty. It is moral clarity. It is the nature of things.

Indeed, the father of modern liberalism, John Stuart Mill, was prophetic when he observed that while war is an ugly thing, it is not the ugliest of things. The ugliest, he warned, is that degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling. In which a people conclude that nothing is worth defending — not their children, not their civilisation, not even the innocent lives entrusted to their care. We appear to be drifting dangerously close to that degraded state; with most of society even now blissfully unaware.

This is where we come in. We can well imagine what “peace” would look like under Al-Qaeda, Islamic State, the Muslim Brotherhood, or the Iranian Ayatollahs. It would not involve us or our sons — but it may involve our daughters being sold to Islamic fighters. Not while I draw breath. The light which burns in me; I see also burns in you.

For those of us who thought the only antisemitic threat came from the far right, we need to look into our blind spot before things worsen further. These ideas did not approach us wearing the language of hatred. They arrived wrapped in the language of humanitarianism, social justice and human rights—travelling through universities, media institutions, activist networks and political movements—until they now sit alarmingly close to the centre of our public discourse.

Which brings us again back to Israel. If Israel’s story is understood honestly, much of contemporary woke activism collapses under the weight of reality.  Ladies and gentlemen, two great contests are now unfolding on our planet: Israel is fighting — and winning — an existential war against terror states and their proxies, while at the very same time the Jewish diaspora, together with gentiles like me who understand the truth and the stakes, are fighting — and currently losing — an existential war of information and narrative.
If we want to keep our cubs safe, we must win the war of information and narrative. That means stepping beyond the comfort of our closed WhatsApp groups; and our locked Facebook profiles. We must share our light, our insight, our perspectives and our decency with the wider Australian community.

If not us, who? If not now, when? Ladies and gentlemen, if we are too frightened to do this now, it will be far worse for our children. So let us now turn from analysis to action. Human beings under threat tend to respond in predictable ways. Neuroscientists describe four instinctive reactions triggered by the amygdala: fight, flight, freeze, and fawn. Let us briefly consider each.

First, fawn. This is the instinct to appease — to minimise oneself in the hope that hostility will subside. We have seen this throughout history. It does not end well. Do not fawn.

Second, freeze. Since October 7 many people have experienced emotional overload — the scale of the violence, the speed of the propaganda, and the betrayal by institutions that once claimed to stand for justice.

It is understandable that some feel stunned. But paralysis carries its own risks. In Australia we have a familiar metaphor for this: the kangaroo in the headlights — frozen, unable to move, and moments later the impact arrives. If we freeze in the face of the challenges before us, we will suffer a similar fate — metaphorically speaking, roadkill on the side of the Hume. I say no.
Which brings us to the third response: flight. For some Jewish families this has taken the form of Aliyah — relocating to Israel. That decision is deeply understandable. In many respects it is safer to live openly as a Jew in Israel than in much of the western diaspora. I have returned to Israel twice since October 2023 and understand the emotional pull. Israel is not merely a country; it represents safety, belonging and continuity.

But we must also consider the broader implications. If the most productive and awoken members in the west all made Aliyah, what would remain behind? What would become of Australia? We need to be honest: it would be fatal for Australia. Fatal for the UK, France and elsewhere — and in time, fatal for Israel as well.

The truth is that the fate of Israel and the fate of the west are deeply interconnected. If Israel falls, the world tips into another dark age. If the west weakens and fails — strategically, morally or demographically — Israel will inevitably feel the isolation and consequences. I would hate for Israel to become a modern-day Masada.
That will not happen. The burden does not rest on Israel’s government and the IDF alone. It rests on our shoulders — yours and mine. We can and must continue to influence.

Which leaves us with the fourth response: fight — or perhaps more precisely, compete. Because the contest before us is not merely physical. It is intellectual, cultural, informational, institutional, strategic — and existential. We are competing today as though our very tomorrow depends upon it. Because in many respects; it does.

So; what might that look like in practice? Let me begin with something simple: a moment of personal resolve. Tonight, when you get home, please. Find a mirror. Stand tall — back straight, shoulders square — look yourself in the eye and say: “I will not be subjected to criminal abuse. If I accept this today, it will be worse tomorrow for my grandchildren.”

We have agency; we must use it. Carrots and sticks. Support those who are shouldering the burden. Impose consequences on those who permit or prolong the problem. Gather evidence. Build a case. Videos, photos, screenshots — identify those engaged in antisemitic behaviour. Refer them to the appropriate authorities — and follow through until the right decision is made.

And if it is not — then we must go further. Shine a light on both the mis doer and the organisation that permits or tolerates the behaviour. Seek advice. Hold them both to account. Daylight is the best antiseptic. The objective is not vengeance — it is accountability. Because institutions, and individuals, behave very differently when they know their inaction carries consequences.
So; that is what “competing” may look like for you. What has it looked like for me? In mid 2024, I founded the 2023 foundation, a non-Jewish-led initiative established to combat antisemitism through education and lived personal experience.

The issue in Australia today is that too many people have developed deep emotional negative positions about Israel despite never having set foot in the land. I intend to change that. Natan Sharansky is right: we cannot combat antisemitism separate from a defence of the Jewish state. Non-jews will not defend Israel unless they know Israel. If we think the ABC or Australian schools and universities will fairly educate Australians on Israel; we need to think again. We must get people to Israel to see the facts on the ground and to ask questions in context.

Things that interest or would be of benefit. Thematic visits. Scholarships to study. Vocational and professional opportunities. My inaugural visit is happening next month, concurrent with ANZAC day.  Twenty reasonable, open-minded Australians on a genuinely transformative experience. What transformation may sound like after the fact, follows:

“My goodness — what an amazing country. Tel Aviv feels so much like Sydney or Melbourne. Israelis want the same things i do: to live in peace, to raise their children, to be left alone. I had no idea. When i walked through Dizengoff mall and was told this was attacked by suicide bombers during the second intifada, i suddenly understood what it must have felt like to go out to buy nappies and potentially lose your life.

I understand now what it must have been like to put children on school buses while buses were being bombed. I understand so much more.
Now when i switch on the ABC and hear John Lyons present his interpretation of events, I realise just how far it diverges from my own recent lived experience. What was presented as objective reporting now looks to me like opinion dressed up as fact — and if they misled me about this, what else have they misled me about?

I’ve told my friends, the ones i trust about what I did and what I saw. They now want to go on the next trip. They want to speak to you Michael. Because the 2023 Foundation is run by an a-political, secular non-Jewish veteran and because you allowed me to educate myself; as opposed to shoving things down my throat. Thank you.”

That is the ripple effect. From drops come ripples. From ripples, waves. Over the next 20 years i will build a coherent strategic pipeline of non-Jewish allies who through education and experience can empathise and relate.
A final line of effort has been advocacy. Some may follow me on social media. Some may have heard me speak elsewhere or have read my books. If you have not yet read A Light Still Burns: Israel and the Values Worth Defending, then please do. In about two weeks, my second book When Our Light is Tested: The Bondi Massacre and the Choices Ahead will also be on the streets. Please read them as though the lives of your unborn descendants may depend on it.

In a series of short essays, I outline key parameters to help people orient themselves and deepen their understanding. But understand this: success is not achieved when you buy the book and leave it unread on your shelf. Success is not achieved even when you skim it or read it yourself. Success is achieved when you understand how i have framed the material and then recognise the book as a tool — a tool with which you may influence your non-Jewish friends.

We all know that every Australian child is at risk if our society continues in its present direction. This is not a hard sell. What is difficult is overcoming the censorship, cancellation, confusion, and misinformation that now afflict our public square and book stores. It’s hard for me to get my book into the hands of those who need to read it using traditional channels. This is where you come in.

So let me put the ask plainly. First: please, read the book. Second: think of ten non-jewish friends to whom you can refer it or gift it to. That is how the ripple effect works in this context. I believe in node and network theory. Every single one of you is a node, you have a network.

People may not fight for jews being bullied in Melbourne, particularly when they think there is a genocide of Arabs in the levant. They generally will be sensible if they feel their children are at risk. This is the framing of my books, this oration, and my work as a non-Jewish upstander building allies who can empathise and relate.

Finally, while this is not a fundraiser. This is an opportunity to explain a unique initiative that is working but not yet at scale. The 2023 foundation is fully tax-deductible. We have some remarkable donors who have done their due diligence and provided material support. But great burdens are best carried forward on the shoulders of the many, the willing, and the able.

The 2023 foundation needs support. A modest contribution from many makes a marked difference. Yet, support need not always be financial. One approach might be this: “Michael, I would like to fly you down to Melbourne. Stay in my spare room, meet my family. Let me feed you to death on a shabbat. I have arranged insert number of non-Jewish friends to gather at my home one evening. I’ve bought copies of your books on amazon. One for each of them. Would you come and speak with us and answer their questions? Then personalise and sign their book.” You bet. That’s a big ripple which will in all likelihood turn into an effective wave.

Another approach might be: “Michael, my son / daughter holds a senior role in a company. May I connect you with them? I think it would be valuable for you to speak with their colleagues in a boardroom setting and deliver a presentation and question-and-answer session.” Buy copies of the book, help me cover my costs. Then; it’s just a matter of sequencing diaries.

I am, by temperament, a humble person. But I have had experiences, insights, and opportunities that resonate with people. I’ve commanded Australian soldiers in war and i’ve been into Gaza with the IDF.

I am able to engage and dismantle the genocide, apartheid, coloniser and famine libels with non-Jewish audiences — because the conversation is not dismissed out of hand with: “of course you think that — you’re Jewish.” My message is resonating. But I need your help. I am but one candle. With your support, my light is amplified.

As we come to the end, and before we begin the question & answer, please know this. You are stronger than you think — and you matter more than you know. Australia is in very deep trouble if we don’t rise to meet, and defeat, the challenges of our time. As Niall Ferguson reminds us, “the greatest danger to western civilisation is not external enemies, but internal weakness.”

The choice, then, is ours — to drift, or to stand. Ladies and gentlemen, this is our civilisational moment. To defend Israel and western civilisation. We are up to this task. Together, we will prevail. Thank you.

Closing Thoughts

The oration concluded to a warm and generous standing ovation, followed by a 30-minute facilitated question and answer session that allowed for thoughtful engagement on many of the themes discussed. Outside, a storm lashed Melbourne. Inside, there was a sense of shared purpose and quiet resolve—an understanding that the challenges we face are real, and that meeting them will require clarity, courage, and collective action.

I am grateful to the Board and Oration Committee of B’nai B’rith Victoria for the opportunity and for their leadership in advancing these important conversations. In particular, I would like to acknowledge Professor Andrew Markus AO, Associate Professor Peter Schattner, Miriam Suss OAM, Faye Haskin-Dubrowin OAM, and Robbie Franco, Chief Executive Officer of B’nai B’rith Victoria, for their contribution to the evening, as well as Joey Thomas and my dear friend Elahn Zetlin for their support. A recording of the presentation will be made available on YouTube in due course.

Colonel Michael Scott CSC retired from the Australian Army in 2026 after more than three decades of service. His career included operational deployments to East Timor, Bougainville, Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as a 27-month posting in Jerusalem as Head of Military for the United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation, operating in Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt.

He is the founder of The 2023 Foundation, a non-Jewish-led initiative dedicated to combating antisemitism through education and lived experience. Michael is the author of A Light Still Burns: Israel and the Values Worth Defending, with his second book, When Our Light Is Tested: The Bondi Massacre and the Choices Ahead, to be released in April 2026.