Knesset Passes Law Witholding Funding from Terror-Promoting Schools

Law, which enables defunding of schools and dismissal of teachers supporting terrorism, specifically notes schools in east Jerusalem.

By United with Israel

In its sitting on Monday, the Knesset Plenum voted to approve in second and third readings a bill that allows for the removal of funding for schools and the dismissal of teachers expressing support for terrorism.

According to the Knesset, The bill proposed that “the Ministry of Education director general be authorized to fire by administrative dismissal and without advance notice a teacher who is a civil servant and was convicted of a severe security offense or a terrorist offense, or identified publicly with an act of terrorism or published a direct call to commit an act of terrorism.” In addition, “the director general will be authorized to refuse to give an employment permit to a teacher under the aforesaid circumstances; all this will be subject to conducting a hearing.”

The bill further proposed “to authorize the Minister of Education to withhold the budget, or reduce the participation in the budget, of an educational institution that receives support from the state treasury, if displays of support or identification with an act of terrorism or a terrorist organization were held in the educational institution, and the institution’s administration should have known about them—subject to a hearing.”

Education, Culture, and Sports Committee Chair, Shas MK Yosef Taieb, presented the bill, saying, “The purpose of the arrangements in this bill is to eradicate the support for terrorism and identification with terrorism that find a place within the walls of educational institutions in the Jewish state, and wield a very grave effect on the young people who study in these institutions. This bill is important and was discussed with gravity. We will not allow teachers who supported or identified with an act of terrorism of any kind to teach in the State of Israel.”

Otzma Yehudit MK Tzvika Foghel, one of the bill’s sponsors, commented, “A teacher in the education system is one of the most influential figures for the children and youth in the State of Israel’s educational institutions. The bill I proposed is designed to ensure that a teacher will not take advantage of his influence [to encourage] terrorist activity by his students, and that the school will not lend a hand to this.”

Likud MK Amit Halevi, another of the bill’s sponsors, said, “Today, the Knesset is doing the most vital thing in the war against our enemies. It is striking against the strongest infrastructure of terrorism—education. Supporters of terrorism will no longer be able to serve as teachers in Israel. And if there are schools that identify with terrorism, the Minister of Education will withhold their budget. The bill will ensure that Israel’s students will be educated towards justice, science and compassion, and not towards terrorism, injustice and barbarism. It’s regrettable that this took us almost two years too long, but better late than never.”

The explanatory notes to the bill state: “The bill is designed to cope with a phenomenon that exists in schools in which displays of identification are held or enabled by teaching personnel, and sometimes also by the school administration, with acts of terrorism or support of such acts. This phenomenon largely exists in schools in east Jerusalem, and it constitutes incitement of minors against the State of Israel along with glorification of terrorists. Its effect is destructive and long-term, and this could, among other things, find expression in the high number of underage residents of east Jerusalem who commit or try to commit terrorist attacks.”

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