Parents of eighth-grade students in Raanana have expressed outrage at educational content their children were exposed to as part of their Arabic language studies.
The content in question is part of a workbook, in Hebrew, aimed at helping middle-school students at secular public schools improve their Arabic language skills.
Titled "Faces of the East," the workbook includes an interview with Arab rapper Tamer Nafar, in which he is quoted as saying, "I can understand where the terrorism comes from. I would shoot a soldier that humiliated my father at a roadblock myself."
In the text, Nafar also explains why he raps in Arabic: "Our music is a weapon, and it is important the Jews understand that."
The workbook has also raised eyebrows for including content many have deemed inappropriate for 13 and 14-year-olds.
In one section of the workbook titled, "Newspapers, television and radio," students are asked to answer questions about a text that reads: "A shocking rape case has the country up in arms. The case involves three youths in their twenties, who raped a 17-year-old girl. According to reports, the rape was documented on a cellphone camera and the pictures were posted online."
In a statement, the Education Ministry said it takes the incident very seriously and emphasized the workbook was "a local initiative," and the matter was immediately dealt with.
"Clear instructions were given to immediately shred the workbook and to no longer make use of the materials. We will ensure the orders are implemented, and we will continue to follow" the incident, the ministry said.
