History Teacher In Israel Arrested For Justifying Atrocities Committed By Hamas

A History and Civics teacher who worked at a school in Isreal's Petah Tikva was arrested on November 10 after allegedly justifying the barbaric acts carried out by Hamas terrorists in Israel, the New York Post reported. The teacher wrote several messages on WhatsApp wherein he asserted Hamas was free to do everything in its power to fight back against Israel. 

''Israeli soldiers didn't rape Palestinians? They have since 1948, and this doesn't make it into the textbooks,'' he claimed on a messaging group with other teachers following the outbreak of the war last month.

''An occupied nation is allowed to do anything that is needed in order to succeed in its struggle,'' he wrote in a separate instance.

The teacher was fired and accused of spreading propaganda after a complaint was filed, The Times of Israel reported.

“We take seriously this case in which a history teacher who educates children in a school in Israel, distorts history, calls IDF pilots murderers, justifies the actions of the enemy, and aids the enemy in times of war, among other things, by fabrications that include blaming IDF soldiers,” police said in a statement, according to Israeli news and entertainment website Mako.

The teacher, who has not been named, has previously called Israeli soldiers ''child killers'' in a social media post. Earlier in the year, he wrote that someone who carried out a car-ramming attack ''was not a terrorist,'' and also encouraged attacks on soldiers and police officers. Further, he urged high school students to refuse to serve in the army.  ''They know well what the results will be, and still, they chose to obey,'' he wrote of the pilots.

He appeared before a court on Friday, where judges extended his custody at least until Monday, while police continue their investigation.

 Israeli police have so far recorded 48 indictments of this crime and are investigating 381 publications over statements made regarding the war.