Pro-Palestinian Signs Found at Givatayim School Spark Parental Alarm

Parents at the Katznelson school in Givatayim were shocked to discover pro-Palestinian signs placed in the schoolyard last week. The incidents reportedly occurred twice within a few days, with similar signs also found at the Klayi high school in the same city. One sign, written in English, declared "The genocide continues" in red, white, black, and green. A second sign was dedicated to the memory of Odeh Alhadhalin, a Palestinian educator from the village of Umm al-Kheir in the southern Hebron hills, who was killed by fire from an Israeli settler. The settler, Yinon Levi, was indicted for negligent homicide two months prior.

Parents reported the first sign to the police, who collected it for examination. Three days later, another sign appeared in the same location. The signs, written by hand, contained messages in English. Two parents filed a formal police complaint last Friday. Parents expressed significant concern and fear, with some hesitant to send their children to school after the upcoming Sukkot holiday, especially with the third anniversary of October 7 approaching.

The Givatayim Municipality stated it views the incident with utmost severity, with municipal teams working alongside the police to investigate and identify those responsible. The municipality indicated that, based on their information, the incident was confined to the Katznelson school. The police confirmed the matter is under investigation.

The Ministry of Education issued a statement emphasizing that schools will not be used for political propaganda and that they will utilize all available means to counter such attempts. They noted the incidents occurred while schools were closed for the holiday.