Investigation opened against Bezalel lecturer who accused Israel of 'genocide'

Following a Channel 14 exposé, an investigation was opened today, Thursday, against Issa Grayeb, a lecturer at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, who spoke harshly against the State of Israel and the IDF.

Grayeb, a Nazareth native and Israeli citizen who grew up in the Jerusalem institution as a student and later joined its teaching staff, is at the center of serious allegations raised in documentation published in Germany. According to the findings, Grayeb habitually labels sovereign Israeli cities, including Nazareth, Haifa, and Jerusalem, as "Palestine," while referring to IDF soldiers as "Israeli occupation forces."

The exposé raised difficult questions regarding the responsibility of an Israeli academic institution funded by public money toward the public and its students. Beyond his statements on social media, Grayeb recently received a prestigious artist grant from the German DAAD organization, where he was presented as someone originating from the "Palestinian territories."

In an inquiry conducted at the time with the German organization, it turned out that in his self-declaration, Grayeb wrote that he is a resident of "East Jerusalem and Ramallah," despite being an Israeli citizen born and raised in Nazareth. It was further revealed in the German report that as early as October 17, 2023, just ten days after the October 7 massacre and before the start of the ground maneuver, Grayeb published a call to stop what he termed the "genocide" that Israel is committing against Palestinians, without mentioning a word about the atrocities committed by Hamas.

The opening of the investigation against the lecturer comes after serious concerns were raised that his actions, which include denying the existence of the state and slandering the state's army while serving as a teacher at an academic institution, exceed any legitimate boundary. The question is now being examined whether the Bezalel administration was aware of the totality of Grayeb's publications and statements over the years, and how the institution allows a faculty member to present Israel's cities as "Palestine." The case puts to the test the institution's commitment to setting clear boundaries for such conduct, especially when it is presented to the world as facts under academic auspices.