Education Minister Yuli Tamir said Saturday that she would not attend a massive rally in Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square in support of secondary school teachers. Tamir told reporters that she was not invited to the event, and said, “A minister does not demonstrate against his government. When I think it is necessary to demonstrate, I will quit and then demonstrate.”
Tamir expressed support for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who wrote a letter on Friday promising a “dramatic increase in wages” for secondary school teachers but later in the day refused to meet with Secondary School Teacher’s Association head Ran Erez. Olmert’s letter shows his commitment to investing in education, Tamir said.