Oxford Union declares Israel an 'apartheid state responsible for genocide'

The prestigious Oxford Union voted by an overwhelming majority that Israel is an "apartheid state responsible for genocide" at a fiery event in which the society's president denounced Israel's war on Gaza as a "holocaust", and a pro-Israel speaker was ejected from the debating chamber.

The exclusive debating society, founded in 1823, held an unprecedented debate on Thursday night on the motion: "This house believes Israel is an apartheid state responsible for genocide". The motion was carried with a thumping majority of 278 to 59.

The packed debate on Thursday evening, observed by Middle East Eye and largely attended by Oxford students, was often raucous and heated, with nearly every speaker interrupted several times by students raising objections.

At one point, the debate became so fiery that opposition speaker Yoseph Haddad, an ardent supporter of Israel, was told to leave the chamber.

Haddad, who produced several props and posters during his speech, wore a T-shirt displaying a photo of killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrullah and the caption: "Your terrorist hero is dead! We did that."

At one point during Haddad's speech, a Palestinian student who grew up in Gaza stood up and said he felt personally insulted, asking the union president that Haddad be removed. Haddad responded by shouting at him and was issued a warning.

The Palestinian student, who said he studies mathematics and physics, later volunteered to give an impromptu speech to the chamber in an intermission between the scheduled speeches.

Another student, a young Palestinian woman, also gave an impromptu speech in which she explained that she was a cousin of Maisara al-Rayyes, a Palestinian doctor recently killed in an Israeli air strike on Gaza. 

Both speeches received long-standing ovations. But afterwards, Haddad was seen waving posters near the young woman's face, at which point the president ordered him to leave the chamber, and he was escorted out by two security guards as audience members shouted, "shame!" and "collaborator" and "wanker."

Arab-Israeli activist Yoseph Haddad was kicked out of an Oxford Union debate on Thursday as speakers debated a motion titled, “This House Believes Israel Is an Apartheid State Responsible for Genocide.” pic.twitter.com/XnO5bJCW6I

— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) November 29, 2024

On Friday, Haddad took to the social media platform X to post that he was "removed from a hostile event surrounded by anti-Israel rioters because I wasn’t willing to accept the humiliation of the Israeli hostages!"

Israel supporter calls students 'terrorists'

Further chaos erupted during another opposition speech, delivered by Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of a Hamas leader who provided information to Israel's Shin Bet for 10 years before fleeing to the United States.

Yousef demanded to know if the audience would have exposed the Hamas-led attack of 7 October 2023 if they had known of it beforehand. Many in the crowd seemed confused, and only some people raised their hands. 

Yousef claimed that the majority of students in the chamber were "terrorists", triggering apparent outrage.

He further said that he was no longer Palestinian, that Palestinians do not exist and that the Oxford Union has been "hijacked by Muslims".

There were other unconventional moments during the debate. Mohammed El-Kurd, a prominent Palestinian poet and activist who spoke in favour of the motion, left the chamber straight after giving his own speech.

Israeli-American activist and author Miko Peled, who also spoke in favour of the motion, described the 7 October 2023 attack as "heroic" - leading to uproar among opposition speakers and many in the audience.

Union president denounces Israeli 'holocaust'

In an added twist, Ebrahim Osman-Mowafy, the union's elected president - who was chairing the debate - stepped down towards the end to give a speech in favour of the motion.

He stood in for prominent American academic Norman Finkelstein. The audience was told that he had been scheduled to speak but could not come.

The president spoke about 19-year-old Shaban al-Daloum, who was burnt alive in October after an Israeli air strike on northern Gaza's Al-Aqsa hospital.

Osman-Mowafy said Daloum's death was part of Israel's "holocaust" of Gaza.

Prominent Palestinian-American author Susan Abulhawa also spoke for the proposition.

And Natasha Hausdorff - a member of the pro-Israel lobby group, UK Lawyers for Israel - spoke against the motion, arguing that it constituted "blood libel".

The @OxfordUnion debate yesterday was historic. The opposition employed theatrics, screaming, insults, bullying, lies, and mostly incoherent arguments. Watching truth break through decades of layered zionist propaganda in real time was stunning, truly a sight to behold. I will… https://t.co/9NMD5VGP9K

— susan abulhawa | سوزان ابو الهوى (@susanabulhawa) November 29, 2024

The debate comes days after the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP), a UK-based group, launched a formal complaint on Tuesday with the Charity Commission against Oxford's All Souls College, which has an endowment of over $600m and was founded in 1438 by King Henry VI.

The revelation follows a series of freedom of information requests made in July and August 2024, which revealed the college maintains over $1m worth of investments in four companies listed by the United Nations as being involved in Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. 

ICJP alleged in its complaint that these investments violated not just international but also domestic British law.

MEE contacted the college for comment but did not receive a response.

The debate was held just days after MEE reported that All Souls College was referred to Britain's charity regulator for having over $1.26m worth of investments in illegal Israeli settlements.