The President of the Oxford Union is facing calls to resign after comments she made in a student WhatsApp group appeared to describe Hamas' October 7 attack as "proportional" and suggested that groups labeled as terrorists may later be regarded as heroes, as reported by the Daily Mail.
Arwa Elrayess, a Politics, Philosophy and Economics student at the University of Oxford, made the remarks in a discussion with incoming students last year. During the exchange, she argued that the October 7 attack should be viewed in the context of decades of Palestinian suffering.
When challenged over whether she was describing the attack as proportional, Elrayess replied: "I am actually. In fact, some would argue it's less than proportional." She added that proportionality did not mean the attack was justified, but that people should not be surprised by its occurrence.
In other messages, Elrayess argued that resistance movements are often branded as terrorist organizations until they achieve their objectives. Referring to groups such as the IRA and the Palestine Liberation Organization, she wrote that such movements are frequently viewed as terrorists by Western countries before later being celebrated as liberators.
She further stated that the severity of resistance often reflects the severity of oppression, while insisting that her comments were intended to explain the conflict's dynamics rather than justify violence.
The messages have drawn strong criticism from student groups and former Oxford Union officials. Oxford Students Against Discrimination said it was "appalled" by the comments and argued that they contribute to fear and exclusion among Jewish students. The organization called on Elrayess to step down from her position.
A former Oxford Union committee member described the remarks as "sickening," arguing that they amounted to the normalization of terrorism and were incompatible with the values of the debating society.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism also condemned the comments, saying any attempt to excuse or rationalize the October 7 attacks was unacceptable. The organization urged the University of Oxford to take action and said it was examining the matter with legal advisers.
Elrayess defended her statements, saying they were made in an informal discussion and had been taken out of context. She stressed that she does not support violations of international law, including the deliberate targeting of civilians, hostage-taking, or other abuses, whether committed by Hamas or Israel.
According to Elrayess, her comments were intended as a theoretical discussion about the causes of violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict rather than an endorsement of any attack. She also noted that part of the discussion took place in the context of conversations surrounding the 2024 killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh.
The Oxford Union and Elrayess have been approached for further comment.