Christian Israeli-Arab high school holds ‘Palestine Day,’ wipes Israel off map

The Episcopal Catholic High School, which receives government funding, was selected three years ago as one of Israel’s most outstanding schools, according to the Ministry of Education.

By Paul Shindman, World Israel News

A high school in the Israeli-Arab city of Shfar’am held a “Heritage Day for the Palestinian People” this week that wiped Israel off the map, the Makor Rishon newspaper reported.

Organized at the Episcopal Catholic High School, the event celebrated cultural heritage, including a mock “Palestinian wedding” and culinary traditions. However, there were also Palestinian flags on the walls and maps of “Palestine” in place of Israel.

The event featured the popular cartoon character “Handala,” a barefoot Palestinian refugee drawn by the late cartoonist Naji al-Ali, who was known for his sharp criticism of Israel.

Political activists from the Balad party, one of the four Arab parties comprising the Joint List, also attended the event, the report said. Balad opposes Israel as a Jewish state and former party leaders had voiced support for the Iran-back Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon.

The school is affiliated with the Catholic Church, and while it is recognized by and gets some funding from Israel’s education ministry, it has the status of an “unofficial educational institution,” which means that the school has autonomy over the curriculum. Three years ago, the school was selected as one of Israel’s most outstanding schools, according to the Ministry of Education, “in the field of values, social and learning.”

The Zionist watchdog Im Tirtzu called on the Education Ministry to take immediate action.

“It is inconceivable that an Israeli high school under the supervision of the Education Ministry is brainwashing its students into thinking that they are Palestinians and must hate Israel,” said Im Tirtzu CEO Matan Peleg.

In response, the education ministry said the incident was being investigated, Makor Rishon said.