The president of the Oxford Union faces investigation by British counter-terror police force over her comments lauding Hamas.

By World Israel News Staff

The president of the Oxford Union is being assessed by UK counter-terrorism police after leaked WhatsApp messages showed her describing Hamas in the context of a “resistance group” and calling the severity of the Oct. 7 attacks “proportional” to what she described as decades of Israeli oppression.

Arwa Elrayess, 20, a philosophy, politics and economics student at Oxford, is the subject of a complaint filed with police by UK Lawyers for Israel, according to reports.

Thames Valley Police told the New York Post it had received the complaint and was reviewing it with counter-terrorism officers.

“We can confirm that we are aware of a complaint relating to an allegation of support of a proscribed terror organization in Oxford,” the force said. “We are continuing to assess this allegation and have been in discussion with Counter Terrorism Policing South East.”

The complaint concerns messages Elrayess wrote in September 2025 in a WhatsApp group of more than 100 Oxford students. The comments resurfaced this month and led to calls for her resignation, a failed no-confidence effort at the Oxford Union and wider debate over free speech, antisemitism and campus politics.

In one message, Elrayess wrote: “Any resistance group will inevitably be deemed a ‘terrorist’ organization by the West until they achieve their liberation (by which time, they’ll be lauded as heroes, as history has repeatedly proven).”

“I think the severity of resistance is often proportional to the severity of oppression.”

“There were forms of resistance in the past that ended with nothing but massacres. This is not to justify anything, but just to point out that it’s quite rich to allow for decades of systematic oppression and massacres, only to act shocked when the resistance movement responds with proportional severity,” she wrote.

When another student expressed surprise that she was calling Hamas’s actions “proportional,” Elrayess responded: “Some would argue it’s less than proportional. have u seen what Israel has put Palestinians through for decades???”

“Proportional does not mean ‘right’ by the way … just that u can’t be shocked that it happened,” she added.

Hamas is proscribed as a terrorist organization in the UK. Under the Terrorism Act 2000, it is illegal in certain circumstances to invite or express support for a proscribed organization, and police have increasingly scrutinized public statements involving banned groups since the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks and the war in Gaza.

UK Lawyers for Israel said Elrayess’s remarks raised legal concerns.

“The comments made by Ms. Elrayess in the WhatsApp group are deeply concerning. In our view, repeatedly describing Hamas as ‘the resistance movement’ and appearing to justify the atrocities committed on 7 October risks legitimizing a proscribed terrorist organization,” a spokesperson for the group said.

“Freedom of expression is a fundamental value in a democratic society, but it does not extend to encouraging support for terrorism or excusing acts of mass murder,” the spokesperson said.

“Where statements appear to express support for a proscribed organization and are communicated to an audience of younger students, there are legitimate questions about whether such conduct falls within the scope of the Terrorism Act.”

Elrayess has rejected accusations that she supports Hamas or justified the killing of civilians, saying her comments were being taken out of context from a private political discussion.

“In my opinion, this is nothing more than an attempt to suppress voices like mine and to deny me the right to express my views – a strategy that groups like UK Lawyers for Israel have deployed for some time because they know they cannot successfully challenge the facts of the matter,” she told the New York Post.

In comments to the Jewish Chronicle, Elrayess said: “I condemn Hamas’ targeting of innocent civilians, just as I condemn the targeting of innocent civilians by the IDF or any other actor.”

“I have consistently maintained this position,” she said.

She also told Al Jazeera that the message about resistance groups being later “lauded as heroes” was not intended as a statement of support for Hamas specifically.

“Analysing something is not giving it moral legitimacy,” she said. “Even though I described explicitly in all the messages that I’m not describing this as legitimate or morally justified, I’m just providing analysis; all of this was stripped away when it was reported in The Telegraph or the Daily News.”

“It was entirely misquoted; I believe it was entirely intentional to frame as having said something that I simply did not say,” she added.

The controversy has sharpened divisions at Oxford over the Israel-Hamas war. Oxford Students Against Discrimination said it was “appalled” by the messages and accused Elrayess of contributing to a hostile environment for Jewish students.

“This is not political debate. It is a failure of basic humanity, and a betrayal of every Jewish student who has had to navigate this university under her leadership,” the group said earlier this month. “We call for her to resign.”

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism called the messages “absolutely sickening,” saying the Oct. 7 attacks involved “wanton rape and medieval torture, butchery and murder of civilians.”

“Any effort to excuse or explain it away should disqualify someone not only from being the president of the Oxford Union—one of the most prestigious positions at one of the UK’s most elite institutions—but also should render them unfit from holding any position at all,” the group said.

A no-confidence effort against Elrayess failed earlier this month, falling short of the number of signatures required to trigger a full poll.

The post UK counter-terror police probe Oxford Union head over pro-Hamas comments appeared first on World Israel News.

The president of the famed British debating society faces calls to resign over praise for the Hamas terror organization and apparent justification of the Oct. 7 bloodbath.

By World Israel News Staff

The president of Britain’s famed Oxford Union debating society is facing renewed scrutiny over comments praising the Hamas terror organization and seemingly justifying the massacre of Israelis on October 7, 2023.

Arwa Elrayess, who was elected Oxford Union president for Trinity Term 2026, faced calls to resign Tuesday night after messages she penned in a private student WhatsApp group were leaked.

Elrayess suggested it was “quite rich” to “act shocked” over Hamas’ conduct, suggesting that Israel’s policies in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza were to blame for the 2023 invasion of Israel.

“I think the severity of resistance is often proportional to the severity of oppression,” she wrote.

In follow-up comments, Elrayess repeatedly downplayed Hamas atrocities, claiming the terror group’s actions were “less than proportional” to Israel’s policies.

“This is not to justify anything, but just to point out that it’s quite rich to allow for decades of systematic oppression and massacres only to act shocked when the resistance movement responds with proportional severity.”

“In fact, some would argue it’s less than proportional.”

In a statement to The Telegraph, Elrayess acknowledged writing the messages but denied she intended her comments as an endorsement of Hamas.

“My messages are in an informal register and not written as a legal brief or a public statement, but I welcome the opportunity to clarify the context, the factual basis, and what I was and was not arguing.

“This was a discussion about proportionality. I do not support or condone breaches of international law – such as the deliberate targeting of civilians, hostage‑taking, the use of famine as a weapon, or any other grave breaches – whether carried out by Hamas or by Israel.

Elrayess, a second-year PPE student at St. Edmund Hall, was elected in November as part of the #ENGAGE slate, defeating Liza Barkova by about 150 first-preference votes, according to The Oxford Student.

The student newspaper reported that her campaign focused on internal governance, financial controls and reducing the role of internal politics in the Union’s operations.

Her election was already notable because she is understood to be the first Palestinian president of the 202-year-old debating society.

The latest report comes after a series of controversies involving the Oxford Union, including disputes over Israel-related debates, allegations of antisemitism, and disciplinary proceedings involving a former president-elect who appeared to celebrate the killing of US conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

The Guardian reported last year that the Oxford Union condemned comments by George Abaraonye, who had been elected president, after he reportedly posted messages about Kirk’s shooting. The Union said at the time that the remarks did not represent its leadership or values and that it “firmly opposes all forms of political violence.”

Abaraonye later said he had “reacted impulsively” and that his comments “did not reflect my values.”

The Union also faced criticism in recent days over its partnership with the Palestine Forum in Britain for its Trinity Term ball.

The post Oxford Union president calls Hamas terrorists ‘heroes,’ defends Oct. 7 massacre appeared first on World Israel News.

UN Watch’s Hillel Neuer rejected the framing entirely, calling the motion not only incorrect but “the inversion of reality.”

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

A charged debate at the Oxford Union on Thursday ended with members voting decisively for a motion portraying Israel as a bigger danger to Middle Eastern stability than Iran, The Jewish Chronicle reports.

The session brought former Palestinian Authority prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh and UN Watch director Hillel Neuer into direct confrontation over the motion.

Shtayyeh opened with a sweeping indictment of Israel, describing it as a project imposed by colonial powers and claiming that its political leaders embrace an expansionist worldview.

He argued that Israel “acts above the law,” ignores UN resolutions, and operates a “nuclear-armed colonial regime” he said had inflicted “occupation, crimes and genocide” on Palestinians. Israel, he concluded, was “the biggest cause of destabilization in the region.”

He also said Israeli security zones in neighboring states exist simply to push hostile armies farther away and labeled Israel a “pariah state” whose actions have generated recurring conflict.

Neuer rejected the framing entirely, calling the motion not only incorrect but “the inversion of reality.”

He argued that stability is determined by actors who ignite wars rather than those who attempt to contain them, and said Iran is the one arming and directing terror proxies across the region.

Arab governments, he added, understand this clearly and quietly rely on Israel for their own security.

As an example, Neuer pointed to Iran’s large-scale missile and drone attack on Israel, during which several Sunni states aided Israel’s defenses.

Their cooperation, he said, amounted to a regional vote of confidence in Israel and a stark judgment about Iran. “You don’t intercept missiles that threaten destabilization,” he said. “You intercept missiles fired by the source of that destabilization.”

Neuer listed what he described as the cumulative toll of Iran’s activities — its shaping of Hezbollah in Lebanon, its role in atrocities in Syria, its backing of the Houthis in Yemen, and its extensive support for Hamas. Iran, he said, helped turn Hamas into a “mini army” buried beneath civilian areas, ultimately enabling the October 7 massacre.

The Oxford Union has not yet formally released the vote tally.

The post Oxford Union declares Israel a greater regional threat than Iran appeared first on World Israel News.