Barghouti at Oxford: Freedom Is Not Conditional on Disarming the Resistance
Dr Mustafa Barghouti, Secretary-General of the Palestinian National Initiative, declared that attempts to impose disarmament on Palestinians are part of a broader effort aimed not only at removing the means of resistance but also at denying Palestinians their fundamental right to resist military occupation altogether.
Speaking during a lecture delivered to students at the Oxford Union on Thursday evening, Dr Barghouti argued that the Palestinian struggle has reached a critical historical moment, characterised by unprecedented humanitarian suffering, the erosion of international law, and a growing global recognition that the existing political framework has failed to deliver justice or peace.
The event was moderated by Arwa Al-Rais, President of the Oxford Union, who opened the evening by welcoming Dr Barghouti and highlighting the Union’s longstanding commitment to exposing students to major humanitarian issues through direct engagement with those who have lived and witnessed them first-hand.
In her introductory remarks, Al-Rais emphasised the importance of ensuring that students hear directly from individuals affected by conflict and injustice, describing such encounters as essential to informed debate and critical understanding. She noted that the Oxford Union has a proud tradition of providing a platform for diverse perspectives on the most pressing international issues and humanitarian challenges of our time.
Introducing Dr Barghouti, she referred to his distinguished career as a physician, human rights advocate and political leader, and noted his longstanding role in Palestinian public life. She added that the discussion formed part of the Union’s broader mission to encourage meaningful dialogue on global affairs and to allow students to engage directly with the experiences and testimonies of those living through contemporary conflicts.
“They are not content with disarming the resistance,” Barghouti told the audience. “They also want to strip us of our very right to resist occupation in the first place. No people living under occupation have ever been asked to surrender both their rights and their means of defending those rights while the occupying power remains fully armed.”
Addressing a packed audience of students and academics, Barghouti painted a bleak picture of conditions in the occupied Palestinian territories, particularly in Gaza and the West Bank. He argued that Palestinians are facing systematic violations of human rights, including attacks on civilians, mass displacement, collective punishment and the destruction of essential infrastructure.
He warned that what is unfolding in Palestine should not be viewed solely as a regional conflict but as a test of the credibility of the international legal system established after the Second World War.
“Palestine has become the clearest measure of whether international law still exists in practice,” he said. “What we are witnessing today is the triumph of power over law and the weakening of the humanitarian principles that were supposed to protect all peoples.”
Barghouti criticised what he described as the failure of major international actors to uphold their own legal and moral standards, arguing that the selective application of international law has severely damaged confidence in global institutions.
During his lecture, Barghouti detailed what he described as grave human rights violations in the occupied Palestinian territories, including violence against civilians, restrictions on movement, mass displacement and growing humanitarian hardship. He argued that these developments illustrate the failure of the international community to uphold the principles it claims to defend.
Drawing on his own experiences as a physician, Barghouti recalled being wounded while attempting to provide medical assistance during protests in the 1990s. He used the personal account to underline the dangers faced by medical personnel working in conflict zones and to stress the importance of protecting humanitarian workers under international law.
A significant portion of his lecture focused on what he described as the broader political trajectory of the conflict. He argued that the continued expansion of Israeli settlements throughout the occupied Palestinian territories has effectively dismantled the territorial basis necessary for a viable two-state solution.
“The reality on the ground has changed dramatically,” he said. “Hundreds of settlements and outposts have fragmented Palestinian land to such an extent that the traditional two-state formula is no longer realistic.”
As a result, Barghouti maintained that a single democratic state, founded upon equal rights and equal citizenship for all inhabitants regardless of ethnicity or religion, has become the only practical political alternative.
He also expressed deep concern about what he described as the decline of international law and humanitarian norms. Addressing students directly, he argued that Palestine has become a defining test case for the future of the global order established after 1945.
“The question is no longer only about Palestine,” he said. “It is about whether international law applies equally to everyone, or whether power alone determines outcomes.”
Barghouti further called for what he described as the “decolonisation of knowledge”, arguing that prevailing narratives in politics, media and academia often obscure the realities experienced by Palestinians. In this context, he referred to academic work examining how concepts such as resilience can be depoliticised in ways that ignore questions of rights, justice and resistance.
The Palestinian leader also highlighted what he described as a significant shift in international public opinion. He argued that support for Palestinian rights has expanded considerably across universities, civil society organisations, trade unions and political movements around the world, particularly among younger generations.
“Palestine is no longer a distant foreign policy issue,” he said. “It has become a domestic political question in many democratic societies because people increasingly see it as a matter of justice, equality and human rights.”
Barghouti expressed scepticism that meaningful political change would emerge from within Israel itself, arguing that sustained international pressure would be required to alter existing policies. He called for stronger solidarity campaigns and increased international engagement aimed at ending occupation and securing equal rights.
The lecture also addressed demographic and political developments. Barghouti argued that one of the most important Palestinian national priorities remains preserving a Palestinian presence on the land and preventing further displacement. He described steadfastness and remaining in Palestine as central forms of resistance against attempts at forced demographic change.
Turning to humanitarian issues, Barghouti highlighted the work of the Palestinian Medical Relief Society, outlining its efforts to operate mobile clinics and deliver healthcare services to isolated and vulnerable communities despite extensive destruction and severe shortages of resources.
He warned that Palestinians are also facing a deepening economic crisis, arguing that financial restrictions, declining revenues and movement limitations have severely weakened public institutions and threatened the delivery of essential services, including healthcare.
Discussing Palestinian politics, Barghouti criticised the continued reliance on mediation efforts that have failed to produce meaningful progress towards ending occupation. He argued that Palestinian political strategy should be refocused around the principles of freedom, self-determination and equal rights.
Addressing questions from students regarding ceasefire negotiations, Hamas and the issue of disarmament, Barghouti insisted that the immediate priority must be ending the war, implementing a comprehensive ceasefire and ensuring unrestricted humanitarian access to Gaza.
He rejected proposals that focus exclusively on Palestinian disarmament while ignoring the realities of occupation and military imbalance.
“The central issue is not weapons,” he said. “The central issue is occupation. Any serious discussion about peace must begin by addressing the root cause of the conflict rather than its symptoms.”
Concluding his lecture, Barghouti called upon Palestinians both at home and throughout the diaspora to strengthen mutual support, invest in reconstruction efforts and maintain what he described as a collective commitment to remaining on their land.
“Our greatest act of resistance today is steadfastness,” he told the audience. “To remain, to rebuild, to support one another and to preserve our presence in Palestine is a responsibility shared by all Palestinians, wherever they may live.”
The lecture formed part of a broader discussion on the future of Palestine, international law and the changing political dynamics of the Middle East, and was followed by an extended question-and-answer session with Oxford students.
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