Knesset approves law allowing Education Ministry to fire teachers, withhold funds over terror support

On Tuesday, the Knesset approved a law meant to combat support for terrorism in the educational sector in Israel.  

The law, submitted by Zvika Fogel of Jewish Power, along with Amit Halevi of Likud, will allow the Education Ministry and relevant authorities to dismiss teachers who carry out or publicly support acts of terrorism, as well as cut off funding for educational institutions that glorify terror. 

The law was first proposed two years ago, and passed its third and final reading in the Knesset on Tuesday. 

The law, called the Bill for Prohibition on Employment of Teaching Personnel and Withholding Budget from Educational Institutions due to Identification with Act of Terrorism or with Terrorist Organizations, passed with a vote of 55-45 on Tuesday. 

National Security Minister and Jewish Power chairman Itamar Ben Gvir said, “Education is a central and significant factor that motivates many attacks against the State of Israel. This law is an important law for defeating terrorism. Although the legal counsel tries time and time again to prevent the law, we are bringing it to the Knesset for final approval. We will continue to fight terrorism in every way.” 

Fogel, one of the bill’s sponsors, said, “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.”  

“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,” Halevi stated. “The bill will ensure that Israel’s students are educated towards justice, science and compassion, and not terrorism, injustice and barbarism.”

It contains two main points: denial of funding to problematic institutions and the removal of teaching staff who support terror. 

The new legislation authorizes the education minister, currently Yoav Kisch from the Likud Party, to fire teachers employed by state schools if they are “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 terror.” The firing of the teacher does not require advance notice, only a hearing on the evidence. 

The legislation also allows the Education Ministry “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.” This is also subject to a hearing. 

According to explanatory notes in the bill, “This phenomenon [of teachers supporting terror] largely exists in schools in eastern 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 eastern Jerusalem who commit or try to commit terrorist attacks.” 

Critics of the bill say that the definition of a terror organization is not clearly defined from a legal perspective in Israel and worry that the law could be used to remove teachers who criticize coalition government policies. 

During the Judicial Reform protests, Kisch called demonstrations against the coalitions “acts of terror.” 

The was condemned by Arab Hadash-Ta’al party Knesset Member Ahmad Tibi, who shared a tweet from the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), which claimed the purpose of the law was “to regulate the discourse in schools and to harm teachers whose statements and worldview do not coincide with those of the education minister and the political parties controlling the Education Ministry.”

“The purpose of the law is to threaten teachers and principals of Arab schools, to mark them and make them a target for surveillance and persecution,” ACRI stated.

“The law severely violates the rights to expression, employment and pedagogical autonomy of teachers and administrators,” it continued.

Supporters point to prior incidents in which teachers in Arab schools have posted messages to social media glorifying terror attacks in Israel.