A motion to be put before the University and College Union (UCU), calling for “intifada until victory” in the Israel-Hamas war and a “Socialist Federation of the Middle East” has been cancelled. This followed a discussion between the local branch of the UCU and Oxford University, which had “serious legal concerns about this motion.”
The motion shared with the Oxford branch of the University and College Union stated that the branch believes that the war is “a direct consequence of decades of violent oppression of the Palestinian people by the Israeli state.”
It argued that “only a mass uprising on both sides of the green line and across the Middle East can free the Palestinian people”, going on to advocate that “the international movement of workers and youth support this struggle.”
The motion was due to be put before UCU members for a vote during what the Telegraph described as an “extraordinary general meeting”, before being dismissed on account of fears it may have led to a breach of the University’s harassment policy.
Prior to the motion’s dismissal, the Oxford Israeli Society said that it “stands aghast at the motion put forward by members of the Oxford UCU”, saying that it had never “seen academics call for the violent destruction of the state of Israel, or for mass intifada, meaning a wave of murderous terror, in all of Israel and the Middle East.”
The society spokesperson equated calls for Intifada to calls for “violent deaths, ethnic cleansing and genocide of seven million Jews”, adding that “to hold Israel responsible for the October 7th massacres is morally corrupt.”
“Our sense of safety has been destroyed. Already calls against Israel have led to violence against Jews all over the world, this motion fans those hateful flames”, the spokesperson said, asking why “any member of the university involved in this motion should retain their affiliation with this institution.”
“Intifada” denotes either of two uprisings of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza strip, which took place in the years 1987-1993, and 2000-2005 with the intention of ending the Israeli occupation of those territories. It is estimated that 5000 Palestinians and 1400 Israelis were killed over the course of both uprisings.
A spokesperson from Oxford Jewish Society (JSoc) said that they were “shocked and alarmed at alarmed at the proposed motion of the Oxford UCU” highlighting the fact that “Jewish students at Oxford have been intimidated, harassed, and have faced antisemitic abuse” since Hamas’ attack.
Calling for the motion’s dismissal, the JSoc spokesperson said that it “shows an utter disregard for antisemitism and the safety of Jewish students and staff at Oxford. The UCU’s actions will only exacerbate the hostile climate that Jewish students currently face.”
In conjunction with the president of the Union of Jewish Students (UK and Ireland), Oxford JSoc’s president published a letter to the presidents of the Oxford Branch of the UCU on 24 October. They released the letter on Instagram, in which they called for the motion’s dismissal, urging the UCU “not to use their statements to advocate for violence, but to express their opinions through peaceful words.
“We also call on the UCU to unequivocally condemn the targeting of Jewish communities in the UK and around the world in response to the current conflict and acknowledge that such actions are antisemitic.”
Oxford University said that it had engaged in “serious discussions” with the local branch of the UCU, leading to the motion being withdrawn from Thursday’s Emergency General Meeting, where the motion was due to be put before members.
Following the motion’s dismissal, the Oxford UCU branch committee told members: “In response to questions regarding the motion that was circulated alongside the call for the meeting, we would like to clarify that the previously circulated motion represents a motion submitted by members, not by the committee.”
The Oxford UCU committee revealed that all members of the union have the right to bring motions before their branches “as is standard in trade unions and other democratic organisations.”
The committee also said that it condemns “in the strongest possible terms the targeting of civilian life by both Hamas and the Israeli military, and we also condemn instances of antisemitism and islamophobia that we have witnessed since the violence unfolded.
“Recent events are part of a continuing cycle of violence that has been the result of decades of brutal occupation. Achieving a lasting peace in the region must start with the return of captives, an end to the occupation and a recognition of the rights of all people.”
Oxford Palestine Society and the Oxford branch of the UCU were approached for comment.
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