Israeli Settlers Outraged at Tel Aviv Schools for Using Green Line in Maps

Maps of Israel have been hanged in schools by the Tel Aviv Municipality that are marked with the Green Line, even though the Education Ministry forbade it specifically.

Mayor Ron Huldai had made the decision, but the schools had gone ahead and hung the maps in school on Sunday.

Education Ministry’s directive

The Education Ministry has made it clear that the maps that the Survey of Israel (SOI) has prepared are the only ones that can be used in educational institutions.

Plus, they should also be approved by the Education Ministry and it criticized the decision of the municipality to distribute the unapproved ones in schools.

The ministry said that the Tel Aviv municipality had invented the map, which was both non-professional and amateur.

It said that this was reflected in the use of the ‘sovereignty line’ and in the cartography. It also said that they had not submitted the map for the Education Ministry’s approval.

Therefore, they could not be used in schools for the purpose of study, or also as posters.

Settlers outraged

There was also outrage from the heads of settlements. Oded Ravivi, the head of the council, said that students would be visiting Tel Aviv from schools in Efrat.

He said that the mayor of Tel Aviv does not seem to like them and does not consider them a legitimate part of Israel.

Shai Alon, the Beit Al Council’s head, said that there were probably many in Tel Aviv who do not like the settlements of Samaria and Judea.

He said that the decision of the Tel Aviv Municipality is a symptom that highlights the lack of political horizons and political instability related to the Palestinians.

The council head said that it also impacts the independent conduct of different parties that oversee the conflict.

Students’ understanding

The Tel Aviv Municipality also responded to the criticism that was directed towards it. It said that it had always been a leader in education and prioritizes education the most.

The Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipality stated that it believes knowledge of values, skills and worlds is an important part of a good education.

It added that the professional map that had been made by an expert cartographer for the students of the city embodied all three of the essential ingredients mentioned above.

The municipality said that students need to recognize the borders between Israel and different countries, along with Israeli sovereignty borders and the complex reality of various areas.

It went on to say that knowing the city and the area the students live in is not enough for them, but they should be familiar with the entire country.

They also need to understand the Middle East and how Israel compares to other countries in the world. This knowledge is deemed necessary for everyone.

It asserted that the educational teams and school principals would know how to lead their students and explain the details to them, even when they are complex. They will be able to show the reality of Israel.