IDF Education Focus Shifts to Right-Wing and Settlement Groups
Translated & summarized from Arab48 by baba
The Israeli military has significantly increased its engagement with right-wing and settlement-focused educational organizations between 2021 and 2025, while reducing activities with groups promoting democracy and human rights. Data shows a dramatic rise in contracted activities from institutes like "Israel Inside," "Midreshet Shomron," and "City of David." Conversely, organizations such as the Yitzhak Rabin Center and the Israeli Democracy Institute have seen their IDF engagements decline. The IDF maintains that all activities adhere to military values and policies, with commanders having discretion in selecting external providers.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Israeli military dramatically increased activities with right-wing and settlement groups from 2021-2025.
- Engagement with democracy and human rights organizations has significantly declined during the same period.
- "Israel Inside" institute's activities surged from one in 2023 to 742 planned for 2025.
- Settlement groups like "Midreshet Shomron" and "Darchi Avot" also saw large increases in IDF activities.
- The IDF states all external educational activities follow military values and policies.
- Yosef Shpayzer, linked to the Religious Zionism party, heads "Israel Inside."
The Israeli military has seen a significant increase in educational activities organized by right-wing and settlement-focused civilian groups in recent years, while engagement with organizations promoting democracy, tolerance, and human rights has declined. Official data released by the IDF in August, following a freedom of information request by the Ad Kan organization, reveals a substantial shift in the distribution of "educational activities" among approximately 110 external institutions between 2021 and 2025. The data indicates a growing presence of groups associated with the right-wing and settlements, despite the military's stated commitment to remaining non-partisan in its educational programs.
The most notable surge in activities comes from the "Israel Inside" institute, part of the tour company "Israel-2GO," headed by a former activist in the Religious Zionism party. After no activities in 2022 and only one in 2023, the IDF contracted 303 activities in 2024 and scheduled 742 for 2025. The company offers tours and courses covering Zionism, Jewish identity, heritage, leadership, and combat spirit, including religious tours in Jerusalem and the West Bank. These activities are not limited to conscripts, with a significant portion designated for officers, including those at the rank of major and above, impacting leadership responsible for shaping soldiers' perceptions.
Behind "Israel Inside" is Yosef Shpayzer, a former Jerusalem municipal council member and activist with ties to the Religious Zionism party. His public statements reflect his political stances, including criticism of Palestinian construction near Bethlehem and Hebron. This trend is not isolated to "Israel Inside." Other settlement-focused organizations have also seen dramatic increases in IDF engagements. "Midreshet Shomron" in the Shavei Shomron settlement saw its activities rise from 19 in 2021 to 278 in 2025. "Beit Sefer Sdei Kfar Etzion" increased from 32 to 227 activities, and "Darchi Avot" rose from three to 356. The "Western Wall Heritage Fund" activities grew from 42 to 413, and the right-wing linked "City of David" association saw its activities increase from 84 to 366.
In contrast, institutions focused on democracy and human rights have experienced a decline. The Yitzhak Rabin Center's activities, after peaking at 90 in 2023, dropped to 56 in 2024 and 63 in 2025. The "Israeli Democracy Institute" had one activity in 2021 and none in 2025, while "Karameh Human Rights Center" activities fell from 27 to one. However, some liberal-oriented organizations like "Bina" and " Beit Berl" saw increases in their IDF engagements.
The IDF stated that all its units operate according to its values and that educational activities are led by military commanders who can engage external entities. It added that contracts are made through the Ministry of Defense with educational institutions that can support commanders, and all institutions adhere to pre-approved standards and military policy regarding external participation. The military also noted that the volume of contracts with a specific institution is not a sufficient indicator of the extent to which a particular educational topic is covered within the army.
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