In a decisive move reflecting growing campus activism, the Cambridge University Student Union has passed a motion declaring that the international community has failed Palestine. The resolution received overwhelming support during a Thursday debate featuring prominent voices from both sides of the conflict.
The contentious debate featured Palestinian journalist and campaigner Yara Eid advocating for the motion, while Israeli speaker Hen Mazzig, a former army liaison officer, argued against it. Mazzig later characterized the reception to his arguments as ‘hostile’ in a Jewish News article reproducing his speech.
This development follows last month’s significant decision by Cambridge Student Union to disaffiliate from the National Union of Students (NUS), citing the organization’s failure to adequately campaign for Palestine and support pro-Palestine protesters. The disaffiliation was further justified by citing poor value for money, with annual fees estimated at £20,000 ($26,000).
The Cambridge vote aligns with broader student activism across the United Kingdom, where student groups and union officers from 55 universities signed an open letter demanding the NUS take a stronger stance on Gaza or face mass disaffiliation. In response, the NUS controversially demanded that union officers remove their signatures from the letter or face bans from NUS events.
Concurrently, Cambridge University announced last month its decision to divest from companies involved in producing ‘controversial weapons,’ following a year of pro-Palestine protests on campus. This move mirrors similar action taken by King’s College, one of Cambridge’s largest colleges, which committed to divesting from arms industry companies complicit in ‘the occupation of Ukraine and Palestinian territories.’