A debate at the Oxford Union descended into chaos last week as speakers and protesters became aggressive over the contentious topic.

The historic society debated the motion “this House believes Israel is an apartheid state responsible for genocide,” which passed by 278 votes to 59 amid hostile exchanges in the chamber and protests outside.

Following the traditional debating club’s format, four speakers were heard each in proposition and opposition to the statement before the vote, but speeches were repeatedly interrupted, and some members were removed from the chamber.

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Broadcaster Jonathan Sacerdoti opened the opposition and released a statement the following day which said: “Last night I spoke at the Oxford Union, in defence of Israel.

“The evening was a shameful and grotesque mockery of educated debate, interrupted constantly by shrieking, threats and outright hatred.”

During his speech, he was heckled by an audience member who called him a “sick motherf****r” and a “genocidal maniac”.

The four speakers in proposition included Palestinian poet Mohammed El-Kurd, union president Ebrahim Osman-Mowafy, Israeli American activist Miko Peled, and Palestinian American poet Susan Abulhawa.

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Ms Abulhawa similarly released a statement following the event, said the proposition team walked in “to a thunderous standing ovation”, while the opposition got mostly jeers.

She added: “In a shameful lack of grace or decorum, the opposition speakers were actually heckling us as well as members of the audience.”

The opposition speakers included Mr Sacerdoti, British barrister Natasha Hausdorff, Arab Israeli journalist Yousef Haddad, and Mosab Hassan Yousef.

Mr Yousef, the latter, is the son of terrorist organisation Hamas’ co-founder, who defected to join Israeli intelligence and has been animated in his criticism of Islam and Palestine. He was removed from the House after speaking.

Ms Abulhawa recalled a “memorable moment” when an audience member shouted “sharmoot”, a derogatory term in Arabic, at Mr Yousef as he took the podium.

Both sides reportedly showed contempt for their opposites, refusing to shake hands, take a photo together, and frequently exchanging insults.

The poet alleged that the debate roster had been modified several times ahead of the debate due to the controversy of the topic, with some pulling out last-minute.

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Members of Oxford Action for Palestine, an active group on the university’s campuses, protested the debate outside the hall. The group wrote that its purpose was to show “Zionists are not welcome in Oxford.”

The protest is the latest in a list of demonstrations made by the group to oppose the presence of Israelis on campus or the university’s stance on the conflict in Gaza.

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