the missing link: what happened before the Oxford Union debate 28 November 2024

 

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susan abulhawa | سوزان ابو الهوى

@susanabulhawa

the missing link: what happened before the Oxford Union debate 28 November 2024

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Before I post my remarks at the historic Oxford Union debate on November 28, 2024, let me give a bit of essential background. As you know, the resolution was "this house believes that Israeli is an apartheid state responsible for genocide."

Of course, zionists had a meltdown in advance, and at least one invited guests, who refused to participate, wrote a long

diatribe

against the union for considering such a debate. Gerald Steinberg, a white European colonizer in my homeland whom I hadn't heard of before, spewed the usual drivel about antisemitism, Nazi holocaust, whataboutism, and poor-little-enlightened-Israel in a sea of barbarians (you know, the ancient colonial script that never changes no matter when or where these monsters go, from Columbus to Churchill to Herzl).

Benny Morris was initially meant to be on the opposition team. He backed out apparently because the union refused to bring on his buddy Ehud Barak. Note this is heresy, second hand info. Finkelstein decided to back out ostensibly because Morris wasn't coming, but in reality, I think he didn't want to be overshadowed by actual Palestinians who can speak more cogently and eloquently than him on the matters pertaining to our own lives, on which he claims expertise, almost exclusively. Norman is a star and shall be treated as a star. Therefore, he demanded to have his own Oxford Union session, undiluted with the voices of pesky Palestinians. That left a gaping hole in the opposition's side, which could not be filled on such short notice. That's why the president of the union, Ebrahim Osman-Mowafy stepped in.

It could have gone on as a 3v3 debate, but the opposition blackmailed the union that unless they allowed them to bring Mosab Hassan Yousef, a "former Palestinian" (collaborator on zionist payrolls), they would all withdraw and force the cancellation of the debate.

Our initial reaction was refusal. They're all genocidal monsters in my view, but at least some of them have some credentials. We were already shocked to learn that they had added Yosef Haddad (another collaborator on zionist payrolls) without telling us, but to add Mosab was going too far--not because we're afraid of dancing monkeys (no offense to monkeys), but because it's beneath our dignity to be in a room with individuals who have the blood of their own people on their hands, not to mention the fact that they have little to offer in the way of intelligence or cogent speech. It's just new iterations of Stephen spreading his arms and incredulity to protect Calvin Candie.

However, in the time-honored tradition of Palestinians holding things together against zionist sabotage and destruction, Mohamad and I agreed to go through with hit with one caveat: Mohamad would speak then leave, as he understandably could not remain in the presence of disgrace. As Mohamad said, "it dishonors me" to be in the same room. As for me, I addressed the reasons for my presence in my remarks.

That's how the composition of the speakers came to be. Norman Finkelstein had his own event the following day and everyone fawned over our white American savior. Yes, I'm angry. Norman came to be invited because I suggested he be there to have an academic counterweight to Morris. Rather than supporting Palestinians, he withdrew, apparently because he's too special and important.

The day of the debate saw a packed chamber. There was a long line of people waiting to get in, hoping someone left early so they could take their place. The gallery too was packed with no standing room left. We, the proposition team, walked in to a thunderous standing ovation. It was too bad the opposition team wasn't there yet to see that. In stark contrast, they walked in to a few claps, but mostly jeers.

There were three standing ovations: one for Mohammad when he left the chamber; one for a student who spoke about the murder of her family in Gaza; and one for me when I concluded my remarks.

In a shameful lack of grace or decorum, the opposition speakers were actually heckling us as well as members of the audience. In fairness, the audience were not kind to them either. As everyone already saw, Yosef Haddad had to be removed by security because his behavior was unhinged. At one point, it looked like he was going to cry. Incredulously, renowned Eqyptian novelist Ahdaf Soueif, who was sitting behind me, was heard saying "is he going to cry?"

The only person on the opposition team who had a mildly coherent speech was their opening, Jonathan something, another white European colonizer. But he was also rattled and at one point angrily demanded of the secretary "I WILL finish my speech" because he was going way over time (something they all did).

To my surprise, their closing speaker, Natasha Hausdorf (also white European colonizer), was barely coherent. I was told that in advance that she was smart and calculating, but she sounded like a blabbering toddler, jumping from one half baked point to another. She started by trying to say that the zionist quotes I used in my speech were lies. You can be the judge when you read or hear my speech. She kept insisting that she take as much time as I did. In fact, I was at the podium longer than the allowed time because they kept interrupting and trying to get me off stage; so I had to pause for the President to bring the chamber back to order. Additionally, Mohammad el Kurd did not take his full allotted time and yielded the remainder to me. But in typical fashion of zionists taking and taking, she got her way and blabbered on for a while. She was a bore, frankly. I took out my journal and passed the rest of the time putting my thoughts to paper. I think everyone stopped listening after the first minute of her speech and were waiting to vote and leave.

Fun fact, the gentleman sitting next to me, a longtime member of the Oxford Union, turned out to be a psychotherapist. He watched the opposition the entire debate and he told me that they were unsettled during my speech. They were fidgeting, looking at their phones, passing notes, and displayed other chaotic "body language." I feel proud of that.

Another memorable moment was when a member of the audience yelled "sharmoot" during a perfect moment of silence when Mosab went to the podium.

As everyone knows by now, the motion passed overwhelmingly: 278 to 59. I actually think it was more brutal than that, because the voting occurs by walking through one side of a partitioned door or another. I saw at least one person walk through the wrong side because she wasn't familiar with the voting process.

There you have it. My remarks will follow.