Israeli education minister to head teachers: Call for end of war and face disciplinary

Israel’s Education Minister Yoav Kisch has warned school principals who publicly call for an end to the Gaza war that they could face questioning and disciplinary measures.

His comments followed the release of a video on Wednesday featuring dozens of principals urging an immediate ceasefire and a deal to secure the release of the remaining 50 hostages. “We will not allow politics to be brought into the schools,” Kisch said, according to Israeli media reports.

The educators’ video declared: “In these days, silence is not possible.” It was the second statement from the group, who wrote to colleagues that “out of an educational and moral responsibility, we call for an end to the war and the immediate return of all the kidnapped.”

Quoting Israel’s State Education Law and the Declaration of Independence, the principals insisted their message was rooted in democratic and humanist values. “We will not stand by in the face of abandoning the hostages, the risk to soldier’s lives, and the severe harm to civilian population in Gaza,” they said. “It is our professional and moral duty to speak out, to protect the sanctity of human life, and to preserve Jewish and humanist values. We are here to educate for humanity, hope, and life.”

Kisch dismissed the campaign, accusing Hamas of being responsible for the suffering in Gaza and labelling the “starvation campaign” a propaganda effort.

The row comes a month after five university presidents, including the heads of Tel Aviv University and the Hebrew University, appealed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address hunger in Gaza and prevent harm to civilians “regardless of the heavy responsibility of Hamas and other factors.”