Israel passes law banning left-wing groups from schools

Israel's parliament on Tuesday passed a law banning left-wing groups critical of the occupation of Palestinian land from entering schools across the country and speaking to students.

The amendment to the education act passed with 43 votes in favour and 24 against and grants new powers to Education Minister Naftali Bennet to bar certain groups from giving lectures to students.

Naftali is head of the right-wing religious-nationalist Jewish Home party.

The new legislation has been dubbed the "Breaking the Silence" law, a reference to the Israeli group of ex-soldiers which collects and publishes testimonies from former Israeli servicemen and women about the military's mistreatment of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and during military operations in Gaza.

Right-wing Israeli politicians have long accused the civil society group of damaging Israel's image abroad and putting officials at risk for alleged war crimes.

"Anyone who wanders around the world attacking IDF (Israel Defence Forces) soldiers, will not enter a school," Bennett said in a statement.

Breaking the Silence said the law is meant to weaken it and other rights groups who highlight Israeli crimes in the West Bank.

"It's really about trying to silence and cover up what's been going on in the occupied territories for 51 years," said the group's director, Avner Gvaryahu.

Amir Fuchs, who heads the Israel Democracy Institute's Defending Democratic Values Program, said the law was part of a wider phenomenon in Israel of trying to discredit left-wing groups.

"Education is about thinking critically. It's about hearing people you don't agree with. And this is what we want to teach our children," Fuchs said.

"In order for us to educate our young people to be democratic, to be liberal, they have to hear the other side," he added.

Israel's right-wing government has long targeted civil society organisations critical of the occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip.

In 2016, Israel approved a controversial new law forcing NGOs that receive most of their funding from foreign state entities to openly declare it.

The law is seen as targeting leftist groups that campaign for Palestinian rights.

Right-wing NGOs - such as those supporting Israel's occupation of the West Bank and settlement building - were unaffected by the bill as they usually rely on private donations.

Last year, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu cancelled talks with German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel after the visiting diplomat declined to call off meetings with Breaking the Silence and B'Tselem.