Adalah Petitions Israeli Supreme Court to Cancel New Discriminatory Law Barring Palestinian University Graduates from Teaching in Israeli Schools

22/02/2026

The petition—filed on behalf of affected students, Palestinian universities, Members of Knesset, and local representative bodies—argues that the law is unconstitutional, rooted in racist premises and violates Palestinians’ fundamental rights to equality, employment, and education.

Today, 22 February 2026, Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel filed a petition to the Israeli Supreme Court on behalf of Palestinian students, Palestinian universities (Palestine Ahliya University and The Arab American University in Palestine), Arab Members of Knesset, the Union of Parents' Committees in East Jerusalem, and the Regional Council for the Unrecognized Villages in the Naqab (Negev). The petition demands the cancellation of a new law passed on 21 January 2026, which bars graduates of Palestinian higher education institutions from teaching within the Israeli education system and East Jerusalem schools. The petitioners argue that the law is unconstitutional, as it is founded on racist and inflammatory premises and violates the fundamental rights to equality, freedom of employment, and the right to education.

While the law exempts those already employed or who had completed a full academic year prior to its passage, it essentially closes the door on the next generation of educators. The petition highlights that Palestinian universities are often the only viable option for Palestinian citizens of Israel (PCI) and residents of occupied East Jerusalem due to systemic structural barriers, including, restrictive entry policies and requirements in Israeli universities, severe economic constraints, and the lack of an Arabic-language university in Israel. Palestinian institutions offer a curriculum and environment that is linguistically and culturally accessible to the Palestinian students.

The law targets the very regions where the education system is most fragile. In East Jerusalem and the Naqab, there is already a massive shortage of teachers. By barring these graduates—who make up a significant portion of the teaching workforce in these areas—the state will exacerbate this chronic shortage, directly infringing upon the right of Palestinian children to a quality education. According to official state data, around 6,700 teachers work in East Jerusalem schools, with at least 58% holding degrees from Palestinian universities. Similar proportions apply to principals and supervisors, meaning a large share of the city’s educators hold degrees from Palestinian academic institutions. The impact will thus be severe. In the next five years, East Jerusalem is projected to have a shortage of at least 540 new teachers—a figure that doesn’t account for the harm this law would cause, or the ongoing effects of UNRWA laws—making the actual shortage likely much worse.

The petition, submitted by Adalah Attorney Salam Irsheid, argues that the law is a tool of political exclusion rather than a legitimate pedagogical regulation. The core legal arguments include:

Racist Premises: The law is rooted in racist assumptions and "securitization" rather than objective educational criteria. These motives are explicitly stated in the law’s "Purpose" section: "...to prevent the harmful influence of the Palestinian Authority, which is hostile to the State of Israel and its values, and to preserve the educational values of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state as formulated in this law." Adalah emphasizes that this sweeping disqualification was enacted without any empirical or professional data to justify the claim that these graduates pose a threat to the education system.
Violation of Constitutional Rights: The law violates the Freedom of Occupation (Employment) Law and the right of individuals to choose their profession without arbitrary state interference. Furthermore, it infringes upon the collective cultural rights of the Palestinian minority, including the right to education in one’s mother tongue—a right that is particularly vital given the absence of Arabic-language education in Israeli universities. It further violates the protected cultural rights of Palestinian residents in occupied East Jerusalem.
Violates International Human Rights Law: The law violates international human rights conventions and norms regarding the recognition of higher education qualifications. These standards require states to evaluate academic credentials based on objective, professional merit and strictly prohibit discrimination based on national origin, language, or political affiliation. The law further violates international humanitarian law applicable to East Jerusalem, breaching the Occupying Power’s duty to act in the best interests and welfare of the protected population and to refrain from implementing drastic changes in essential social and economic sectors.
Lack of Proportionality: Under Israeli constitutional law principles, even if the state were to claim a legitimate security or "value-based" concern, a blanket, categorical ban is an extreme and disproportionate measure.

The petition presents evidence from two Palestinian universities that operate under international academic standards, proving that their graduates are high-functioning professionals who have integrated successfully into the labor markets. These cases also show that the universities develop their own educational programs and syllabi independently, based on professional standards, without influence from any political entity—contradicting the claims underlying the law. These cases highlight the arbitrary and sweeping nature of the law and the scale of the harm it will cause to both individuals and the broader community.

CLICK HERE to read the law (Hebrew)

CLICK HERE to read the petition (Hebrew)

Case citation: HCJ 68074-02-26 Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel et al. v. The Knesset et al.