Jerusalem court overturns Education Ministry ban on Israeli-Palestinian bereaved families program

Jerusalem District Court on Sunday accepted a petition by the Israeli-Palestinian Bereaved Families Forum and the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, striking down the Education Ministry’s decision to remove the program "Dialogue Meetings, From Pain to Hope" from the Gafni database used by schools. The court ruled that the ministry failed to present sufficient factual and legal grounds to bar the program, and did not prove that it contradicted the goals of state education or suffered from a pedagogical defect serious enough to justify removal.

The court also ordered the ministry to pay 20,000 shekels in legal costs. The program, which has been run in schools for years, brings students together with bereaved Israeli and Palestinian families to discuss pain, loss, mutual recognition, dialogue and hope. According to the ruling, about 200,000 students and education staff have encountered the program over the years.

The petition was filed against the ministry by the forum and the Association for Civil Rights in Israel. Other respondents included the group B’Tsalmo, the B’harenu B’Chaim forum, and bereaved parents such as Talik Guaily, mother of Master Sgt. Ran Guaily, killed in combat on October 7 and whose body was taken by Hamas, and Herzl and Meirav Hajjaj, parents of Sgt. Shira Hajjaj, killed in the 2017 vehicle attack at Armon Hanatziv Promenade. The ministry argued that the discussions in the program conflict with state education because they portray IDF soldiers as harming innocents, address sensitive public issues in ways not suited to the target audience, and in parts undermine the legitimacy of state and military actions.

The court rejected those claims, saying that dealing with difficult and controversial issues is part of the education system’s role. It said the fact that a program is contentious or presents human pain on both sides of the conflict does not justify banning it. The judges also dismissed the argument that the program makes an improper comparison between Israeli and Palestinian bereavement, saying it focuses on grief and dialogue rather than on undermining IDF service, incitement, or the legitimacy of Israel. The court said the ministry relied on an incomplete factual record, ignored positive feedback, school principals’ support, and oversight reports that found no substantial deviations, and failed to trust teachers and students to engage critically with complex issues.

Forum co-chief executive Ayelet Harel called the ruling a victory for the rule of law, free speech, and education for peace. Attorney Tal Hasin of the Association for Civil Rights, who represented the forum, said the court strongly criticized the reasoning that led to the program’s third exclusion, and added that students are not a captive audience. Education Minister Yoav Kish condemned the ruling as forcing an organization of "families of terrorists" into classrooms and said he would fight to keep it out of Israel’s education system.