[ “These days Israeli citizens who are showing the slightest
sentiment for the people of Gaza, opposing killing of innocent
civilians, they are being politically persecuted, they go through
public shaming, they lose their jobs, they are put in jail."]
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MEET THE ISRAELI HISTORY TEACHER ARRESTED & JAILED FOR FACEBOOK POSTS
OPPOSING KILLING OF PALESTINIANS  
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Interview by Amy Goodman and Juan González
November 22, 2023
Democracy Now
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_ “These days Israeli citizens who are showing the slightest
sentiment for the people of Gaza, opposing killing of innocent
civilians, they are being politically persecuted, they go through
public shaming, they lose their jobs, they are put in jail." _

Meir Baruchin,

 

On November 9, Israeli police arrested Jerusalem history and civics
teacher Meir Baruchin after he posted a message on Facebook about his
opposition to the killing of innocent Palestinian civilians. Police
seized his phone and two laptops before interrogating him on suspicion
of committing an act of treason and intending to disrupt public order.
After being in jail for four days, Baruchin was freed but lost his job
as a teacher and is still facing charges. “These days Israeli
citizens who are showing the slightest sentiment for the people of
Gaza, opposing killing of innocent civilians, they are being
politically persecuted, they go through public shaming, they lose
their jobs, they are being put in jail,” says Baruchin, who says if
he had been Palestinian, he would have faced more violence.

AMY GOODMAN: This is _Democracy Now!_, democracynow.org, _The War
and Peace Report_. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González.

We turn now to look at how the Israeli government is cracking down on
Israeli citizens who criticize their government’s bombardment of
Gaza. We’re joined now by Meir Baruchin, a history and civics
teacher from Jerusalem who was recently jailed for four days in
solitary confinement after he posted a message on Facebook about his
opposition to the killing of innocent Palestinian civilians,
especially women and children.

On November 9th, Israeli police ransacked his house and arrested him.
They also seized his phone and two laptops. Police interrogated him on
suspicion of committing an act of treason and intending to disrupt
public order. He was then jailed for four days and labeled a high-risk
detainee. Baruchin has since been freed, but he has lost his job as a
teacher and is still facing charges. Despite this, Meir Baruchin has
refused to stay silent and is joining us now from Jerusalem.

Meir, welcome to _Democracy Now!_ It was hard for us to get in touch
with you over the last few days because your electronic devices, like
your phone, were taken. Can you talk about exactly what happened to
you? What did you post? And then, how did the Israeli police come to
ransack your house?

MEIR BARUCHIN: First of all, thanks for having me.

When I got to the first interrogation, the interrogators presented 14
posts, most of them before October 7th. There were posts from four
years ago, from two years ago. Only one or two posts were after
October 7th.

What I’m trying to do in my Facebook posts is this. For most
Israelis, Palestinians are really vague images. They have no names, no
faces, no family, no hope, no plans. And I’m trying to give them
names and faces, introduce them to Israelis, so more Israelis would be
able to see Palestinians as human beings. So, that’s what I do in my
Facebook. The police didn’t like it, so they arrested me.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And when you were arrested, what was the substance
of the interrogation against you during that time? And how were you
treated?

MEIR BARUCHIN: On November 9th, I got a call from the police to come
over for interrogation on sedition. I called my lawyer, and he said
that in order to interrogate an Israeli citizen for sedition, they
need an approval from the general attorney. The police did ask for
approval but was rejected, so they decided to interrogate me for
intention to commit an act of treason and disrupt public order.

The minute I walked into the police station, they shackled my hands
and legs, and they showed me a warrant to search my house. Five
detectives took me to my house and ransacked the place. Then I was
taken back to the police station for the first interrogation, that
lasted four hours. After that, I was taken to the jailhouse. Like you
said, I was categorized high-risk detainee, separated from everyone. I
wasn’t allowed to bring anything with me, a book or something. I
spent there four days. In order not to go crazy, I exercised every
hour and a half, two hours.

On Sunday evening, November 12th, they took me for a second
interrogation. And their technique was — it wasn’t really asking
questions. It was more of a rhetoric. When you install the answer
inside the question, you don’t really let the other person choose
his own answer. For example, they said something like, “As someone
who justifies and legitimizes the rapes by Hamas people on October
7th, don’t you think that…” — you know, that was their
technique. Also in my second interrogation, at a certain moment they
said that my Facebook posts are just like _The Protocols of the
Elders of Zion_. Now, I’m history teacher, so I asked them, “Did
you ever read _The Protocols of the Elders of Zion_?” There was no
comment.

I was taken back to the jailhouse. And on November 13th, I was
released by the judge, and still they kept me in the jailhouse for
another three-and-a-half hours.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And what has been the response of fellow teachers in
Israel and of the press to your arrest and detention?

MEIR BARUCHIN: Most of mainstream media embrace the statement of the
police spokesman who accused me as justifying and legitimizing the
rapes committed by Hamas people on October 7th.

As for my colleague teachers, hundreds of them are telling me,
“Meir, I am fully behind you, but I have children to support,”
“Meir, I’m with you, but I’m paying a mortgage,” “Meir,
I’m with you, but my daughter is getting married,” “Meir, I’m
with you, but we just started to redecorate the house.” They are
afraid to speak up. They are afraid to lose their jobs. They see very
clearly that these days Israeli citizens who are showing some — the
slightest sentiment for the people of Gaza, opposing killing of
innocent civilians, they are being politically persecuted, they go
through public shaming, they lose their jobs, they are being put in
jail. So they are afraid.

AMY GOODMAN: Last week, _Haaretz_, the Israeli newspaper, published
an editorial
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“Arresting Arabs and Left-wingers: How Israel Intends to Crack Down
on Domestic Dissent Over Gaza War.” In it, _Haaretz_ wrote about
your case, saying, quote, “Make no mistake: Baruchin was used as a
political tool to send a political message. The motive for his arrest
was deterrence — silencing any criticism or any hint of protest
against Israeli policy. Baruchin paid a personal price.” So, Meir,
if you can talk about the fact that you were fired from your job? You
have four children, right? And also, how unusual is your arrest and
being put in solitary confinement, both for Israeli Jews and for
Palestinians?

MEIR BARUCHIN: Well, first, I must admit that the fact that I’m
Jewish played a key role in my arrest. Had I been Palestinian, it was
completely different. There would have been much more violence from
the police officers and also in the jailhouse by the wardens.

I think it’s a clear message for not only to the teachers, but to
all Israeli citizens. One of the newspaper men from _Yedioth
Ahronoth_, Ben-Dror Yemini, he called me a “soldier in the service
of terrorist propaganda,” in those specific words. Other newspaper
— other journalists also embraced the police statement without
getting my response or without even trying to challenge the police
statement.

AMY GOODMAN: They took your phone and also your computer?

MEIR BARUCHIN: Yes.

AMY GOODMAN: Have you gotten it back?

MEIR BARUCHIN: They took my phone. They took two laptops. No, no,
not yet. My lawyer is working on it. But the case is still not closed.
I’m still facing charges. Also, the Ministry of Education suspended
my license, so I cannot go back and teach anywhere in the country.

AMY GOODMAN: And what do you tell your kids? We just have 30
seconds, Meir.

MEIR BARUCHIN: My kids are proud of me, and that’s the most
important thing.

AMY GOODMAN: I want to thank you so much for being with us. Meir
Baruchin is an Israeli history and civics high school teacher who was
jailed for four days, held in solitary confinement, after criticizing
the killing of innocent Palestinian civilians. His case is still open.
He could still go to trial. He’s speaking to us from Jerusalem.

* Israel-Gaza War
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* Israeli dissent
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* political persecution
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