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Oxford Union Declares Israel a Bigger Threat Than Iran in Lopsided Vote

The symbolic vote triggered backlash, renewing scrutiny of the society's direction.

Overview

  • Members approved the motion 265–113 after a tense Thursday debate at the student society, according to The Oxford Student.
  • The resolution is nonbinding and framed the question as which country poses a greater threat to regional stability.
  • Former Palestinian Authority prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh argued Israel acts above international law and accused it of occupation, apartheid and genocide.
  • UN Watch director Hillel Neuer called the motion an inversion of reality, citing Iran’s arming of proxies and its unprecedented drone and missile attack on Israel.
  • Backlash followed the result, with reports of donations worth hundreds of thousands of pounds being put on hold, speakers withdrawing, and Iranian activist Niyak Ghorbani denouncing the vote as shameful.