Crisis in Israel’s education system and teachers’ protests

According to the Zionist newspaper Maariv, teachers in occupied Palestine, facing the Israeli authorities’ disregard for their livelihood, will strike again on Sunday from 8 to 11 a.m. across all schools.

The Israeli Ministry of Education has called on Bezalel Smotrich, the finance minister, and the Teachers’ Union to resume negotiations to reach an agreement on salaries.

In this regard, Smotrich, in a letter to Israeli teachers, warned that shutting down the education system amid the Gaza war, which would severely harm parents and students, is an unacceptable and irresponsible act. He urged them to refrain from striking, stating: “I cannot imagine that while hundreds of thousands of reserve soldiers leave everything to fight, those who educate our children would strike over disputes about a few percentage points of wage cuts to fund the Gaza war, thereby harming Israel’s war efforts.”

According to Maariv, the Teachers’ Union responded sharply to Smotrich’s letter, stating that the strike decision was made due to the Finance Ministry’s deliberate prevention of meetings to find a suitable solution to end discrimination against teachers.

The Union added that Smotrich’s refusal to hold a joint meeting with Yoav Kisch, the education minister, to address teachers’ issues demonstrates disrespect and violates an Israeli court ruling.

Maariv reported that recently, Israeli teachers and kindergarten educators noticed another salary cut for April to fund the Gaza war, without prior notice, prompting them to strike to demand their rights.

Yaffa Ben-David, Secretary-General of the Teachers’ Union, said: “The Finance Ministry is acting with arrogance and immorality toward the teaching community.” She added: “Smotrich prefers to evade responsibility and violate his obligations.” Ben-David warned that this issue not only harms educators but also the entire education system, which is in a severe crisis.