Education Minister Orders Removal of Theater Project Based on Terrorist's Work
Israeli Education Minister Yoav Kisch has ordered the immediate removal of a theater project from the national curriculum system after it was discovered to be based on the work of Ghassan Kanafani, a former spokesperson and member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). The project, titled "The Return," was part of a program offered by the Arab-Jewish Center for Culture and Society at Beit HaGafen in Haifa and focused on themes of displacement, refugee status, and Palestinian return.
The decision came after the Ministry of Education received a complaint, prompting an investigation into how the program was approved and entered the Gafan system, a database of external educational programs. Kisch also ordered a freeze on all programs run by the operating body and called for an examination of legal steps on suspicion of misrepresentation.
In a letter dated September 16, Kisch stated that the review raised concerns about "misrepresentation and misleading the Ministry of Education," noting that the program promoted Palestinian narratives, including works by a member of a terror organization. The minister further instructed that legal measures be considered, relevant findings be transferred to law enforcement, and the tender committee convene to review the ongoing engagement with the organization.
This incident has raised broader questions about the oversight mechanisms for external programs entering Israeli schools through the Gafan system, specifically concerning who reviews and approves content and how such a program managed to pass the filtering processes. The CEO of the organization "Bצלמו" (Bצלמו), Shai Glick, who filed the initial complaint, called the situation "unthinkable" and demanded an investigation into those who approved the program's inclusion.
The Ministry of Education is now tasked with not only examining the content offered to students but also understanding the process that allowed it to be included in the ministry's program database in the first place.
