This week, the Organization for Human Rights Meezaan, based in Nazareth, submitted an official appeal to the Ministry of Education, contesting the Director-General’s decision to reject the approval of a teacher’s employment in the education system, based on an old criminal conviction dating back more than eight years.
The teacher began his work at the start of the 2023/2024 academic year at a high school in northern Israel, where he carried out his duties normally during the initial weeks. However, he later received a notice from the Ministry of Education informing him of a “warning” on his record, which prevented him from continuing his work within the official education system or in institutions supervised by the Ministry. Despite this measure, the teacher completed the previous school year, but the Ministry refused to renew his employment for the current academic year.
Following this, the teacher was summoned to a hearing before the Director-General’s Advisory Committee at the Ministry of Education, where he presented his arguments, submitted all required documents, and showed full cooperation. Nevertheless, the Director-General decided to reject the approval of his employment, relying on legal provisions related to “offenses that harm state security.”
In its appeal, Meezaan called on the Director-General to revoke the decision, emphasizing that the teacher’s criminal record contains only a single conviction from years ago, which is expected to lapse under the statute of limitations within one year. The organization highlighted that the offenses were committed when the teacher was still young, and that he has since demonstrated responsibility and high motivation for social integration through his work in education, carrying out his duties without any legal or behavioral violations throughout his teaching period.
In its statement, Meezaan argued that this measure violates a fundamental human right — the right to work — especially given that the offense occurred during an earlier phase of the teacher’s life, and that the years since have seen significant personal change and responsible conduct, including practicing the teaching profession without any misconduct.
The organization further noted that this decision reflects a systematic policy of persecution targeting Arab citizens in various aspects of their lives, pointing out that the authorities are not content with judicial punishment at the time of the offense, but continue to pursue individuals and impose restrictions even years later.
Meezaan confirmed that it has been following this case for several months and is awaiting the Ministry’s response to the appeal, reaffirming its readiness to pursue all legal avenues in defense of the teacher’s right to work and his right to social integration without national or political discrimination.
