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Israel Society “a hardline political advocacy group”

Oxford University Israel Society (OUIS) has come under fire for its links to NGO StandWithUs, which has been criticised in the past for its connection with the Israeli government.

OUIS has been coveted much controversy in recent weeks following the change of its constitution and the subsequent expulsion of several members amid criticism of the executive committee. This resulted in ten Israeli students, including PhD student Yishai Mishor, former president of the Jewish Society of Oxford, publishing an open letter to OUIS in the Oxford Student newspaper. In this letter, they claim the “Israel Society has been co-opted from a cultural society to a hardline political advocacy group”.

This story has continued to draw attention not only among the Oxford community, but also in Israel, where it has been reported in Haaretz, the country’s oldest newspaper.

It has now emerged that the OUIS constitution discusses their direct affiliation with StandWithUs. The constitution states, “Until amended by a future resident, the society will continue to receive funding from StandWithUs UK. Funding itself does not imply that OUIS subscribes to any political views that may be held by an external organisation or group”.

StandWithUs describes itself as “an educational organisation seeking to educate others about the daily life of Israelis, Israel’s challenges in the region and Israel’s bid to make peace with its neighbours”. StandWithUs denies that it receives funding from the Israeli government, stating, “We are a non profit organisation operating independently of government. We educate about Israel no matter who is currently voted into power”. However, its UK website has a video that opens with an endorsement from Israeli President Shimon Peres, and they also run campaigns directly “in partnership with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs’”.

The Israel Society is also affiliated constitutionally to the Zionist Movement in the United Kingdom, which is part of the Zionist Federation. The recent Haaretz article discussing this issue states that ‘In December 2013, the Ministry of Finance [of Israel] approved engagement initiated by the Prime Minister’s Office with the Zionist Federation, for Zionist activity projects totalling an investment of seven million NIS [Israel New Shekels] for a period of two years’.

StandWithUs Israel Director Michael Dickson told Cherwell, “The Israel Society at Oxford is independent and free to work with whoever they choose. That an Israel society seeks to work together with Israeli educational organisations strikes us as distinctly uncontroversial.” However Dickson also said that SWU do “not directly” fund OUIS, contrary to what the Society dictate in their constitution.

Furthermore, OUIS state, “As part of this society’s relationship with StandWithUs UK, the society shall send representatives to the StandWithUs UK National Conference of Israel Societies or otherwise StandWithUs UK reserves the right to withdraw funding.” On their list of rules on the OUIS Facebook page they state, “We welcome members of all political or ideological persuasions, and individuals are free to use the forums of Israel society to express their own views.” Addressing this, Mishor responded, “if Israel Soc has turned into a political advocacy in the service of StandWithUs, then naturally it cannot have more than one clear voice, the voice of StandWithUs.”

Richard Black, President of OUIS, was unavailable for comment.

Jonathan Hunter, a current member of OUIS and Campus Director for StandWithUs, speaking as an SWU worker, said, “We are not an organ of the Israeli government – as some would like to believe”. He then added as an Israel Society member, “The Society requested to partner with Stand With Us – and democratically ratified this at a general meeting of its membership.

“Individuals who disagree with the majority can form their own society – they should not anti-democratically force others to conform to their world view.”

Jonathan Hunter has also been accused of making derogatory remarks against the Israeli student community in Oxford, in comments published in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. He said, “The type of Israelis who study at Oxford come from an elite Ashkenazi, high income background. Maybe they don’t feel they have to defend Israel.”

Yishai Mishor, PhD student and former Officer in the Israeli Army, responded, “I expect the Israel Society to publish an apology and denounce Hunter’s racist remarks. I find it completely absurd that the leaders of the Israel Society in Oxford are now engaged in a full frontal attack on the Israeli community in Oxford.”

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