Education Minister Yoav Kish Denounces Teachers Union Head Ran Erez's Strike Threats

Education Minister Yoav Kish sharply criticized Ran Erez, chairman of the teachers' union, following Erez's threats to strike and disrupt the upcoming school year. Kish dismissed the strike threats as empty and urged Erez to stop his confrontational behavior, saying, "Ran, how do we say it? Enough."

Kish outlined a history of conflicts between Erez and various education ministers over the past 30 years. He cited incidents including Erez comparing former Minister Limor Livnat to the biblical villain Haman in 2005, threatening former Minister Yuli Tamir politically in 2008, accusing Minister Gideon Sa'ar in 2011 of yielding to finance officials and neglecting long-term teacher investment, and repeatedly attacking Minister Naftali Bennett between 2016 and 2018 by claiming Bennett lacked understanding of education and had no positive achievements.

Further, Kish noted Erez's criticism of Minister Yoav Galant in 2020 regarding his past, and his 2022 accusation that Minister Yifat Shasha-Biton was "destroying education in Israel," asserting no previous minister had caused such damage. Kish emphasized that despite Erez's decades leading the union, he has failed to secure any significant achievements for teachers, instead leaving a legacy of threats, strikes, and disruption to education continuity.

Kish concluded by assuring the public that the school year will begin as scheduled, rejecting any attempts to halt education through union action.