Israel Approves Bill Prohibiting Employment of Teachers Educated in Palestinian Universities

SadaNews - The Education Committee in Israel approved, in second and third readings, a bill that prohibits the employment of any teacher who studied at Palestinian universities.

The bill stipulates that no teacher holding a degree from an academic institution in the West Bank can be employed, while allowing the Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Education to approve the hiring of a teacher with a degree from a Palestinian university, provided they have also obtained an equivalent degree from an institution recognized in Israel.

Data from the Knesset Research and Information Center shows a significant increase in the number of teachers acquiring academic degrees from Palestinian universities over the past decade.

During the past decade, 30,339 new teachers have joined the teaching in Arab education, 11% of whom hold academic degrees from Palestinian universities.

Of these new teachers, totaling 3,447, 62% teach in East Jerusalem, 29% in Bedouin education in the Negev, and 9% in other areas.

In the current academic year, approximately 6,700 teachers are teaching in East Jerusalem, at least 60% of whom hold a bachelor's degree from a Palestinian academic institution.

The proposers of the bill, Knesset members Amit Halevi and Avichai Boaron (from Likud), justified their proposal by stating that in recent years, the number of Israeli citizens and residents receiving their education in academic institutions located in Palestinian Authority areas has increased, as has the number of graduates from these institutions being integrated into the Israeli education system.

They added that studies at these institutions often include what they termed anti-Semitic content and indoctrination aimed at denying the existence of the State of Israel and inciting against it.

The Association for Civil Rights called for the rejection of the bill, considering it disproportionate and a violation of fundamental rights.

The association added that the bill's objectives could be achieved through the application of existing laws and regulations, pointing to the harm that would be inflicted on the educational system and job opportunities for Arab youth as a result of it.

During discussions, the legal advisor to the Education Committee, attorney Tami Sela, pointed to constitutional difficulties, such as the infringement on freedom of employment and the lack of a factual basis for the bill.