A Palestinian high school has drawn outrage after video footage showed a school play that had students dressed up as gunmen pointing weapons at other students dressed up as religious Jews, blindfolded and on their knees.
The incident took place at the Anata High School in East Jerusalem, according to a report Wednesday by Channel 12.
A video of the play, which appeared to draw a large audience, was uploaded to TikTok and has since gone viral.
In the video, the crowd is heard cheering as student actors point guns at their peers while waving Palestinian flags.
Far-right Israeli lawmaker Itamar Ben Gvir has said that the incident constitutes incitement against him specifically, arguing that the student dressed up in traditional religious clothing, including a white kippah, is supposed to depict him.
Ben Gvir is often seen wearing a similar white kippah.
“This is a new level of incitement against me,” the lawmaker said on Twitter. “Students ‘taking me out’ as teachers and students cheer from the sidelines. This wild incitement in schools cannot be ignored. It starts with incitement and might end with murder. Those who are inciting and supporting terrorism must be held accountable. I expect the police to take action and stop the agitators.”
Responding to the reports, the Education Ministry condemned the incident but clarified that the school was under the full administrative control of the Palestinian Authority.
“Following the publication of the boys school in Anata educating about terrorism and murder, the Education Ministry would like to clarify that the school is under the full responsibility of the Palestinian Authority. The Education Ministry is not connected to the school in any way. At the same time, the ministry regrets the school raising its students on values of incitement, hatred and terrorism, instead of providing them with real education. The ministry will hand over the materials to the relevant bodies for further examination,” a statement issued by the ministry read.
According to a report from earlier this month, an Israeli watchdog has found that educational textbooks produced by the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA continue to contain incitement to violence against Israel and hatred of Jews, despite promises to remove such content.
