Minister's visit to Israel a 'propaganda mission', claims education committee chair

A visit made by the education minister to Israel has been labelled as a "propaganda mission" by the education committee chair of Stormont.

Nick Mathison reported that there is "questionable judgement" regarding Paul Givan going on the visit because it was funded by Israel.

He said: "I think those fears are right to be voiced and I think it's right that we do so."

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) MLA is part of a group of unionist politicians on a six-day visit to Israel, which the minister referred to as a "fact-finding mission".

In an interview with BBC Talkback programme last week, Givan said the visit had been arranged by the Israeli embassy.

The Alliance Party MLA Mathison said to BBC Radio Ulster's The Nolan Show: "It appears to me as a propaganda visit actually to listen to one specific side of the argument.

"That the people of Gaza have no voice at all in anything we're listening to from the education minister from Israel is really troubling."

Last week, Givan and other politicians have posted pictures of their tour, including a trip to a Holocaust National Memorial Centre and Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and meetings with victims of Hamas attacks in Israel.

Mathison described the "optics" of images of the minister in Israel as "quite a jarring image when we think of the the complete destruction which has been visited on the people of Gaza after those attacks on the 7th of October".

'Lines have become very blurred'

On Tuesday, the organization which speaks for Northern Ireland's largest teaching unions denounced Givan for making an Israeli visit in the face of worldwide criticism of its Gaza policy. 

The Department for Education (DE) stated Givan had been "invited by the Israeli government to be part of an official visit as a member of a delegation of Northern Ireland representatives.".

Northern Ireland Teachers' Council (NITC) called on him to justify his actions and it also condemned the DE for "promoting" his visit on the department's website and social media handles.

The department advertised Givan's visit to Jerusalem's Ofek School on both its main website and its social media handles.

It affirmed that Givan had a meeting with the staff and students of the school "along with representatives of the Israeli Ministry of Education".

https://twitter.com/Education_NI/status/1982862765183426644

Mathison stated that the Ofek School visit is "where the concern really does begin to become more of an issue".

He went on: "I think it's really important in our system that we have clear lines between individual members, party political activities and their official roles if they hold an office such as minister and I think the lines have become very blurred here.".

"I don't think that's an acceptable state of affairs in our system."

"I think that the notion that we're supposed to be there as guests of the Israeli government to hear what the message is that they want to go out around this conflict, to me, is unacceptable," he said.

"It is very questionable coming from the minister, and I believe when then the lines are then blurred about whether he is actually there, maybe in his official capacity as a minister of the Northern Ireland Executive, I believe those concerns are absolutely right. to be raised and I believe it is appropriate that we do so."

No confidence motion

The Sinn Féin MLA, Cathy Mason, has penned a letter to the education minister and put forward a set of questions regarding the trip.

In a statement released on Tuesday, she told that Givan has "decided to visit Israel at a time when that very same state is committing genocide against the Palestinian people.".

"Meanwhile, schools here are still staggering from crisis to crisis. Israel has bombed almost every school in Gaza out of use and killed tens of thousands of children."

Mason also said she queried if this visit had been "undertaken in an official ministerial capacity", or if parts of Givan's visit "have been carried out with departmental support".

"If not, I am asking for an explanation why departmental social media has been employed to provide comment on aspects of this visit."

Opposition leader, Matthew O'Toole of the Social Democrat and Labour Party, stated Givan's "propaganda junket to Israel following the murder of thousands of children is an appalling thing to do".

"Particularly alarming is the employment of civil service funds to advertise it," O'Toole said on X, previously Twitter.

Earlier on Tuesday, People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll stated that he planned to table an assembly motion of no confidence in Givan.

"The Department of Education has been actively facilitating the Minister's visit, which is completely inappropriate. The trip is manifestly political," he stated.

"It's an insult to add that the minister and his fellow ministers embarking on this junket at the same time as the Education Authority announced a £300 million black hole in its accounts."

A DUP spokesman claimed that the party's delegation is part of a larger group and that the visit incurs no expense for UK taxpayers.

The group representing the Israeli visit also comprises DUP colleague Sammy Wilson of Givan; Steve Aiken of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) and Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) party's Ron McDowell.

"It is not a trip surrounded by secrecy - since the moment our representatives arrived in Israel they have given full accounts of the activities they have been involved in," stated the DUP spokesperson.

https://twitter.com/paulgivan/status/1983227916290011345

The Northern Ireland Teachers' Council (NITC) said on Tuesday it was "deeply troubling" that Givan had accepted an invitation to a state that is accused of genocide - something Israel denies.

The present military operation in Gaza started after a Hamas-led assault on Israel 7 October 2023, in which approximately 1,200 people died and 251 were kidnapped.

Israel has countered by staging ground and aerial attacks that so far have caused over 68,000 fatalities, the territory's Hamas-controlled ministry of health reported.

Early last month, the global premier society of genocide scholars stated that Israel is engaging in genocide in Gaza.

The UN and certain Western countries at the time stated that they would only accept a decision by a tribunal that genocide is occurring as authoritative.

Analysis - 'A very rare statement'

The big teaching unions do not normally speak as one. They do so invariably over pay or education policy.

Therefore, the robust statement they released over Paul Givan's trip to Israel stands out.

It is extremely unusual that all the unions would condemn a minister – and opine on world affairs – in such direct terms.

Reports indicate that union bosses were getting a lot of complaints from their members regarding the minister's visit, and how he had publicized it.

Others also felt it was needlessly singling out the Department of Education for being on one side of the Gaza conflict.

It will have been an unpopular balancing act for some teaching unions, though, who will be aware that not all of their members will share the same view as the joint statement.

It is also unlikely to persuade the minister to retreat, although he can anticipate more examination of his visit to Stormont in the days and weeks to come.