A heated confrontation erupted Monday in the Knesset Education, Culture and Sports Committee when chairman MK Tzvi Sukkot ordered the removal of Arab MK Samir Ben Said after he refused to condemn the October 7 Hamas massacre and other terrorist attacks.

The committee was discussing alleged incitement in the Arab education system, including claims that some educational materials glorify violence and terrorism. During the hearing, lawmakers heard testimony from a former senior Hamas official who left the terror organization and appeared with his face concealed out of concern for his safety.

The former Hamas member described growing up with educational content that portrayed jihad and armed struggle as heroic while depicting Jews and Israel negatively. He argued that hatred is learned, not innate, and called for greater scrutiny of educational materials and messaging.

Tensions rose when Sukkot asked Ben Said to condemn the murder of IDF surveillance soldiers on October 7 and terrorist attacks in general. After Ben Said declined and instead shifted the discussion toward criticism of the government, Sukkot denied him the right to speak and instructed security personnel to remove him from the hearing.

The session also featured testimony from social activists and bereaved families. Muslim social activist Lord Atiya criticized Arab political leaders for failing to address problems within Arab society, including crime and extortion, while MK Meir Cohen of Yesh Atid called for significantly increased oversight of educational programs.

Deborah Gonen, whose son Danny Gonen was murdered in a terrorist attack carried out by a terrorist released in the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange, urged greater cooperation to address extremism from an early age.

Concluding the hearing, Sukkot warned that educational systems promoting hostility and extremism pose a strategic threat to Israel’s security. “When children grow up on content that denies the existence of the other and presents the conflict as an eternal war, the result may be another generation drawn into the cycle of violence,” he said.

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