In a stunning move of what may be called censorship, Israel’s Ministry of Education has decided to erase Greta Thunberg’s climate activism from its education curriculum in retribution for a post in which she expressed her support for Gaza and implicitly criticized Israel’s policies.
The feud is on, as Israel in return sharply criticized the Swedish climate activist’s post. Israel noted that the victims of Hamas’ attacks could have been Thunberg’s friends and asked her to speak up on the violence perpetrated by the terrorist organization.
Thunberg had shared an image on X (formerly Twitter) in which the 20-year-old, along with 3 other activists, was holding placards in support of Gaza and climate Justice. She had noted that the world needs to speak up and call for an immediate ceasefire. Thunberg wrote, “Week 270. Today we strike in solidarity with Palestine and Gaza. The world needs to speak up and call for an immediate ceasefire, justice and freedom for Palestinians and all civilians affected.”
In deciding to remove Greta Thunberg’s activism from the education curriculum Israel noted (as quoted by The Jerusalem Post), “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… 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.”
Israel had also criticized Thunberg via its official X handle noting: “Hamas doesn’t use sustainable materials for their rockets which have BUTCHERED innocent Israelis. The victims of the Hamas massacre could have been your friends. Speak up.”
Further adding to the controversy, in an earlier post, Thunberg’s Stand with Gaza placard was accompanied by a stuffed Blue Octopus, considered by sme to be an anti-semitism symbol. However, she later deleted the post and explained that the blue toy in the picture was used by autistic people to convey feelings.
In a follow-up post, Thunberg wrote, “It has come to my knowledge that the stuffed animal shown in my earlier post can be interpreted as a symbol for antisemitism, which I was completely unaware of… The toy in the picture is a tool often used by autistic people as a way to communicate feelings. We are of course against any type of discrimination, and condemn antisemitism in all forms and shapes. This is non-negotiable. That is why I deleted the last post.”
