Arwa Elrayess, the first Palestinian president of the Oxford Union, faced a motion of no confidence brought by a 20-year-old student who accused her of fostering 'an atmosphere of hostility and harassment.' The motion failed overwhelmingly, receiving only 126 votes against the 150 needed.

The controversy stems from leaked text messages where Elrayess allegedly called the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 incursion 'proportional.' However, she insists her words were taken out of context, stating she was analyzing resistance groups historically, not endorsing Hamas.

Elrayess told Al Jazeera: 'Palestinians, when they talk, are for some reason a danger. Our very existence is something that is scary.' She condemned both Hamas attacks on civilians and Israeli military actions.

This is not the first smear campaign against her. Previously, falsified minutes were circulated, and an anonymous article in the now-defunct Oxford Standard falsely claimed she was related to a Hamas leader. The article was later deleted, but the damage had spread to national media.

Despite the attacks, Elrayess remains defiant: 'I’m not resigning from my position. They can throw 1,000 different letters in 1,000 different articles. I’m very vocal, and I’m a very proud Palestinian.'

Source: www.aljazeera.com