The Oxford Union, one of Britain’s most prestigious debating societies, is set to host a controversial debate on November 28 titled, “This House Believes Israel is an Apartheid State Responsible for Genocide.”
The debate has sparked intense debate following recent developments, including arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Israel is also under investigation by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for genocide, while major human rights organisations such as B’Tselem, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International have accused the state of apartheid.
Prominent critics of Israel, including US political scientist Norman Finkelstein, Israeli-American activist Miko Peled, Palestinian-American author Susan Abulhawa, and Palestinian writer Mohammed El-Kurd, are expected to participate. They will face British lawyer Natasha Hausdorff and journalist Jonathan Sacerdoti, known for their pro-Israel views.
The motion has stirred controversy, with some pro-Israel figures, like Gerald Steinberg, founder of NGO Monitor, accusing the Union of singling out Israel for demonisation. He also condemned what he called abusive power against Jewish students at Oxford. The Union, however, defended the debate, emphasising its commitment to free speech and the discussion of significant global issues, citing reports from the UN, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International regarding Israel’s actions.
This debate follows previous discussions at the Oxford Union about Israel, including one in 1962 on whether “The Creation of the State of Israel is One of the Mistakes of the Century” and another in 2008 questioning Israel’s “right to exist.”
