Pro-Israel speakers branded ‘genocidal maniacs’ as Oxford students pass shock motion to declare Israel an ‘apartheid state responsible for genocide’
Oxford University students passed a motion branding Israel an “apartheid state responsible for genocide” as pro-Israel speakers were heckled and labelled “genocidal maniacs.”
A debate at the Oxford Union descended into chaos as pro-Israel speakers were heckled and a Palestinian activist stormed out at the presence of a former Palestinian spy for the IDF.
The controversial motion passed by 278 votes to 59 amid a hostile environment both inside and outside the chamber.
The team in favour of the motion was made up of Oxford Union President Ebrahim Osman Mowafy, Palestinian activist Mohammed El-Kurd, writer Susan Abulhawa and anti-Zionist Israeli-American Miko Peled.
In opposition were British barrister Natasha Hausdorff from UK Lawyers for Israel, broadcaster Jonathan Sacerdoti, Arab-Israeli journalist Yoseph Haddad and Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of a Hamas founder later turned IDF spy.
During the debate, protestors outside the Union – from Oxford Action for Palestine – could be heard chanting anti-Israel slogans, including “Zionists are not welcome in Oxford.”
Inside, speaking in favour, Miko Peled claimed Palestinians have been living in a “concentration camp for seven decades,” and advocated for one Palestinian state “from the river to the sea.”
He also shockingly described the October 7attacks as heroic.
“What happened on October 7 was not terrorism — these were acts of heroism of a people who were oppressed,” he said.
When his opponent Sacerdoti cited the legal classification of the attack as terrorism, Peled responded with: “Arrest me.”
Mohammed El-Kurd, also in favour, used his time to express anger at former Hamas member Mosab Hassan Yousef’s IDF affiliation.
He said: “It dishonours me to share a space with [Yousef],” before storming out of the chamber.
Meanwhile, Abulhawa accused the opposing side of “invoking the Holocaust and screaming antisemitism.”
She said: “I came to speak directly to Zionists: we let you into our homes when your own countries turned you away. You killed and robbed and burned and looted our lives.”
Opening for the opposition, Sacerdoti said the motion was disgraceful. He was heckled by an audience member yelling “genocidal maniac” and “you sick motherf***er.”
Journalist Yoseph Haddad highlighted proof of coexistence among Jews, Christians and Arabs in Israel, countering claims of apartheid.
He was however ejected from the chamber amid shouts from the crowd, donning a t-shirt that read: “Your terrorist is dead.”
Ex-IDF spy Yousef spoke about his work stopping terrorist suicide bombers, despite being the son of a Hamas founder. He was then also almost kicked out of the chamber for calling Palestinians “the most pathetic people on planet Earth,” and saying “this House has been hijacked by Muslims.
Barristuer Hausdorff who closed the debate spoke about the intimidation Jewish students were facing.
This came as reports emerged that Jewish students felt too afraid to attend the debate.
After the debate, the opposing side took to social media to express their outrage at the occurrences at the debate.
Sacerdoti tweeted on Friday morning accusing the debate hall of being “packed with aggressive and closed-minded people, including the president who invited us to speak on a warped motion and attempted at every stage to undermine us. The level of support for terrorist actions was chilling.”
Yoseph also posted on X, revealing the chilling fact that 75 per cent of the participants at the debate said they would have chosen not to report Hamas plans to the authorities to prevent October 7.