Israel’s Education Ministry is cooperating with the Shin Bet clandestine police against teachers who encourage terrorism, Reshet Bet radio reported Monday morning. A new procedure has recently been formulated by the two entities to locate ahead of time teaching staff who are suspected of being involved in or encouraging terrorism.
The procedure was formulated following two recent terrorist attacks that were carried out by Israeli Arab teachers, and cases of Arab teachers who get paid by the state and push pro-terrorist messages on social media. The education ministry wants to remove them from the education system or, better yet, prevent them from entering the system in the first place.
Two attacks have been carried out in recent months by Arab teachers: the attack in Be’er Sheva in which four Israelis were murdered and the attack six months ago in the Old City of Jerusalem in which Eli Kay was murdered.
On April 6, the chairwoman of the Knesset Education Committee MK Sharren Haskel (New Hope) called on the Shin Bet to formulate an orderly procedure for transmitting information to the ministry of education regarding teachers with a problematic security past.
“I have recently received many examples of teachers in the education system who praise and glorify terrorists who murdered Israelis,” Chairwoman Haskel said, adding, “We will not get off this topic until there’s a clear procedure that will keep away teachers who encourage terrorism and incite against the state.”
In a closed-door session of the education committee, Haskel reported about a recent meeting between the head of the Shin Bet and the director-general of the education ministry in which it was decided that from now on the Shin Bet would pass information directly to the ministry on cases where there is a suspicion that a teacher supports or is involved in terrorist activity, Reshet Bet reported, citing MKs who were present during the closed-door committee meeting.
The closed session was reportedly very heated and included shouting and confrontations, mainly between MKs Ofer Kasif (Jewish token of the Joint Arab List) and Keti Shitrit (Likud).
One obvious question: what’s the point in having a closed session and inviting Ofer Kasif? Won’t the terrorists find out about it from him?
In November, the defense establishment reportedly recommended that Arab teachers from eastern Jerusalem who apply to work in state schools must undergo a security probe.
By the way, several Arab MKs who spoke at the April 6 committee meeting protested the fact that the Shin Bet is not being asked to apply the same security measures against Jewish teachers who express support for terrorism. You see? And you thought Israeli Arabs were unreasonable.
