The Israeli education ministry is disqualifying climate activist Greta Thunberg as an “education role model” for students and removing mentions of her from school curricula in response to her failure to condemn Hamas atrocities in a statement calling for an immediate ceasefire between the Jewish state and the terror group.
“Hamas is a terrorist organization responsible for the murder of 1,400 innocent Israelis, including children, women, and the elderly, and it has abducted over 200 people to Gaza,” the ministry said, according to the Jerusalem Post. “This stance disqualifies her from being an educational and moral role model, and she is no longer eligible to serve as an inspiration and educator for Israeli students.”
Over the weekend, the 20-year-old posted a photo of her posing with a poster that read, “Stand with Gaza.”
“Today we strike in solidarity with Palestine and Gaza,” she said. “The world needs to speak up and call for an immediate ceasefire, justice and freedom for Palestinians and all civilians affected.”
Thunberg also directed followers to other accounts that share an anti-Israel narrative. Over 100 Israeli environmentalists condemned Thunberg in response, writing her an open letter obtained by the Jerusalem Post. They said they were “deeply hurt, shocked and disappointed” with the “posts regarding Gaza” and that Thunberg should “look again at the atrocities conducted by Hamas.”
“Greta Thunberg is the most well-known climate activist in the world today,” the Israel Union for Environmental Defense, known as Adam Teva V’Din, said. “In her influential position, Greta has expressed a one-sided and inconsistent stance, completely ignoring the cruel acts endured by Israeli citizens and the abduction of hundreds of people.”
“Due to her position, when Greta addresses a different topic superficially and dismissively, it inevitably weakens the validity of her climate-related positions,” the statement added. “People from all walks of life might think that the shallowness she displayed on the other issue could cast doubt on the seriousness and depth of her climate activism. Those with vested interests could exploit this to portray climate activists as unserious and lacking depth. Therefore, even without addressing the ethical and moral implications she ignored, Greta is no longer a role model for us in the climate change context. We have plenty of other figures to look up to.”
In 2019, when she was a teenager, Thunberg became a climate celebrity after she delivered an alarmist speech prophesying the end of the world due to rising temperatures and reprimanding western nations for not being proactive enough. At the 2019 United Nations climate action summit, she told world leaders: “You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words.”
Later, at a World Economic Forum meeting in January 2020, Thunberg urged immediate divestment from fossil fuels.
“We want this done now,” she said. “Our house is still on fire. Your inaction is fueling the flames by the hour, and we are telling you to act as if you loved your children above all else.”
The Israeli education ministry is working to safely return students to the classroom, as 40 percent of schools have already re-opened for on-site teaching, Education Minister Yoav Kisch said in a briefing on Sunday, the Post noted.
“Our directive is security for students and staff above everything else as we go back to a state of emergency normal,” he said. “The process is being done gradually and according to the needs of the staff and the abilities of the local authorities.”