The Ministry of Education's Incitement Committee that Secretly Monitors Educators
- ACRI
- Jul 30
- 2 min read
ACRI filed a petition with the Supreme Court on July 29, 2026 on behalf of educators, requesting an order directing the Ministry of Education to halt the activities of the “Incitement Committee,” which reviews complaints received by the Ministry regarding statements made by teaching staff. The petition also seeks an order prohibiting the Enforcement and Oversight Division from conducting covert investigations and compiling “intelligence files” on teaching staff, and the revocation of the procedures under which these monitoring and surveillance mechanisms operate.
The “Director General’s Advisory Committee on Addressing Incitement Against the State in the Education System” has operated within the Ministry of Education since 2016, but neither its existence nor the procedures governing its activities were made public for years. Members of the Incitement Committee, who lack appropriate pedagogical or legal training, are authorized to examine statements made by teaching staff and make determinations regarding them, despite having no legal authority to do so. Ministry officials collect personal and sensitive information, scan social media activity, contact the police and the Shin Bet, and formulate findings regarding teaching staff, all before those individuals are given an opportunity to know that they are under review or to present their position. This is an exercise of investigative and adjudicative powers without any basis in law, and runs counter to the principles of legality and the rule of law. Moreover, the mere existence of this committee and of these procedures create a chilling effect that deters teachers from participating in public discourse and expressing their views for fear of coming under surveillance and being subject to punitive measures.
The State Education Law provides that the purpose of the education system is to foster independent thinking, judgment, and critical thinking, as well as respect for the cultures and views of others. Critical viewpoints are not inconsistent with the values of a public education; they are part of those values. A committee operating in secret for the purpose of silencing teaching staff undermines the very principles upon which a state education is founded.
Also important to note is that even if the Ministry of Education had the authority to operate this kind of monitoring system, the way in which it functions is neither reasonable nor proportionate. There is no justification for every complaint, including those that are weak or unsubstantiated, to result in prolonged surveillance, the collection of personal and sensitive information, referrals to security agencies, and the creation of “intelligence files” on teaching staff, particularly given that most complaints ultimately result only in clarification meetings. While the Ministry of Education has a duty to protect students and prevent incitement, violence, and racism, that duty does not permit it to establish a secret system for monitoring and surveilling statements made by educators.
HCJ 83955-07-26, ------- v. Minister of Education
Attorneys: Tal Hassin (ACRI), Miri Gross (Clinic for Workers’ Rights, Tel Aviv University), Dr. Moran Saburai
The petition, July 29, 2026 (Heb)
