Jerusalem Court Orders Palestinian-Israeli Bereaved Families Forum Back Into Schools

The Jerusalem District Court on Sunday accepted a petition by the Palestinian-Israeli Bereaved Families Forum and the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, overturning the Education Ministry’s decision to remove the program “Dialogue Meetings, From Pain to Hope” from the GFN catalog. The court said the ministry failed to provide a sufficient factual and legal basis for the ban, and did not show that the program contradicted state education goals or suffered from a pedagogical defect that would justify its removal.

The court ordered the program restored to the GFN database and ordered the ministry to pay 20,000 shekels in costs. The program has run in schools for years and brings students together with Israeli and Palestinian bereaved families to discuss grief, loss, mutual recognition, dialogue and hope. According to the ruling, about 200,000 students and educators have been exposed to it over the years, and it has received positive feedback.

The judges wrote that dealing with difficult and controversial issues is part of the education system’s role, and that the mere fact a program is contentious or presents human pain on both sides of the conflict is not enough to disqualify it. The court rejected the ministry’s claim that the program makes an improper comparison between Israeli and Palestinian bereavement, saying it focuses on the pain of loss and the possibility of dialogue, not on opposition to IDF service, incitement, or harming Israel’s legitimacy.

The court also criticized the ministry’s decision-making process, saying it relied on incomplete evidence, ignored oversight reports that found no substantial irregularities, dismissed positive feedback and support from school principals, and gave insufficient trust to teachers and students to handle complex issues critically. Education Minister Yoav Kisch called the ruling “scandalous and disgraceful,” saying the court was forcing into classrooms “an organization of families of terrorists,” while forum co-chief executive Ayelet Harel called it a victory for the rule of law, freedom of expression, and peace education. Tal Hasin of ACRI said the ruling sharply criticized the ministry’s repeated attempt to bar the program.