Israeli education system

Meir Baruchin outside his home in Jerusalem. (Oren Ziv)

How Israel turned a teacher into a traitor

Social media posts about Oct. 7 got him fired, arrested, and thrown in jail. Now, Meir Baruchin faces a fight to return to a school that wants him gone.

By Oren Ziv February 9, 2024

A teacher-soldier speaks to a student in a classroom in Beit Shemesh, April 4 2011. (Nati Shohat/Flash90)

Palestinians as ghosts: How Israel’s education system normalizes occupation

A study finds that while some high school textbooks touch on Israel's control of the West Bank, students are taught little to nothing about its true nature.

By Gil Gertel August 9, 2020

Who is David and who is Goliath? Ahed Tamimi faces down a soldier in Nabi Saleh. (Haim Shwarczenberg)

Ahed Tamimi flips Zionist mythology on its head

The story of David and Goliath is a central Zionist myth. The case of Ahed Tamimi shows that while Israel still thinks it’s David, in reality, it’s Goliath. By Gil Gertel After the images from Nabi Saleh surfaced earlier this week, Minister of Education Naftali quickly made himself judge, jury, and executioner, declaring that the two…

By +972 Magazine December 22, 2017

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A map of Israel (Screenshot/Social TV)

Who’s afraid of the Green Line?

The Green Line, the boundary between Israel and the Palestinian territories recognized by most of the world, has been all but erased by the Israeli education system. Rami Younis, also of +972 Magazine, talks to educators about how it happened, and what it means.

By Social TV August 18, 2017

Students at a bilingual school in Jerusalem, December 22, 2005.
(Yossi Zamir/Flash90)

Don’t blame the education system for Israel’s occupation denial

Ignoring Palestinians, whether the refugees from the 1948 War or those who remained under military rule in the occupied territories, is part and parcel of our Zionist outlook. By Gil Gertel We love to talk about the occupied territories. Because they are silent and they do not throw rocks at us. We have developed a…

By +972 Magazine June 4, 2017

Israeli Black Panthers, including Charlie Biton, protesting on Dizengoff Street in Tel Aviv, May 1, 1973. (Moshe Milner/GPO)

Israel’s Black Panthers remind us what their struggle was about

Back in the 1970s, the deep socioeconomic divide between Ashkenazi and Mizrahi Jews in Israel led to a massive protest movement and the rise of the Israeli Black Panthers. A newly approved official civics textbook in Israel portrays the movement as violent and criminal. We called up three Black Panthers to remind us all of the true…

By Haokets October 11, 2016

Israeli border police arrest a Palestinian youth in East Jerusalem’s Shuafat Refugee Camp, file photo. (Photo by Tess Scheflan/Activestills.org)

The roots of Palestinian and Israeli teenage violence

The violence we are witnessing among Israeli and Palestinian teenagers is a response to a system that limits their independence through power and control. By Gil Gertel Three different news items on teenage violence were aired in the Israeli media recently. The first was a hearing in the Special Committee for the Rights of the…

By +972 Magazine February 12, 2016

A ‘thank you’ sign sent by Israeli children hangs on an IDF tank. (Ran Zisovitch / Shutterstock.com)

When IDF conscription begins at age three

An education system that brings an inherently violent organization in through the front door is failing at its most basic obligation. This policy is the first injection of militarism, ultimately meant to prevent our children from becoming critical citizens. Ten years ago, when my oldest daughter was five years old, I already had the honor…

By Orly Noy February 16, 2015

Police arrest a young protester during clashes in Kafr Kanna. (photo: Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

To fight police violence, address their racism

The killing of a young Bedouin man from Rahat and the death of another during the funeral have deepened the city’s lack of faith in the authorities. Only anti-racism education for police and young people alike can stop the landslide. By Kher Albaz The Or Commission, which investigated the shooting deaths of 13 Arab demonstrators…

By Haokets January 31, 2015