Knesset Education Committee Chairman MK Tzvi Succot (Religious Zionist Party) on Saturday strongly criticized the municipality of Rahat after it decided to close all schools on Sunday ahead of a planned visit by the committee.
Succot called the move "an admission of failure," arguing that the committee's purpose is to oversee Israel's education system for all students. "The Education Committee is not an enemy of Rahat's students," he said. "Its role is to oversee the education system across the entire State of Israel, Jews and Arabs alike."
In recent weeks, the committee has visited several schools in Arab communities to examine efforts to combat school violence amid rising crime, review educational curricula and infrastructure, assess how staff are addressing students' personal security, and evaluate cooperation with law enforcement authorities.
Responding to claims that the visit was a political provocation, Succot said that closing schools to prevent lawmakers from observing conditions firsthand raises questions about what local officials are trying to hide. "If the city's education system is functioning properly, there is no reason to fear a visit by the Knesset committee," he said.
He also criticized the decision to suspend classes, saying it harms thousands of students for political reasons. "Instead of cooperating for the future of Rahat's children, the city's leadership chose to deprive them of a day of learning in order to block the Knesset's oversight work," Succot said, adding that the committee would continue carrying out its oversight responsibilities "without fear and without bias," placing students' interests and the quality of education above political considerations.