Stormont Education Minister Paul Givan under fire over visit to Israel

Stormont Education Minister Paul Givan has come under fire over a trip to Israel.

The Department of Education said their minister had been invited by the Government of Israel to participate in an official visit as part of a delegation of representatives from Northern Ireland.

They said while there, Mr Givan took the opportunity to visit a school, and afterwards asked that it be highlighted on the department’s social media channels.

People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll said he intends to submit a motion of no confidence in the Education Minister at the Stormont Assembly, while the teachers’ unions have also expressed concerns.

In a statement the Northern Ireland Teachers’ Council condemned “the actions of the Department of Education and Education Minister Paul Givan in taking part in and promoting a tour hosted by Israeli officials”.

“The fact that the Education Minister has undertaken this tour in the context of what has been recognised by the UN as a genocide committed by Israel against the Palestinian people in Gaza, as well as Israel’s consistent disregard and abuse of international laws in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, is deeply troubling,” they said.

“It is also a cause for serious concern that Minister Givan and the department have posted a number of inappropriate social media posts and online news items on the department’s official website, in what he has claimed is a ‘fact-finding’ mission at the invitation of the Israeli embassy in London. Official governmental online platforms should be politically neutral.

“The minister’s actions in promoting this visit on these platforms is an overtly political and divisive act that serves to diminish confidence in his judgment and respect for the views of the wider education workforce and community.”

The NITC has demanded that the department removes the social media posts and stories on its website about the visit.

The council added: “The minister should also be asked to explain his actions in accepting the invitation of the Israeli embassy at a time when senior officials of that state stand accused of war crimes.”

On Tuesday night, Mr Carroll said he was in the process of submitting an Assembly motion expressing no confidence in the minister and calling for his exclusion from office for a period of six months.

“I hope all MLAs who have correctly called what Israel is doing a genocide will back this motion. There must be consequences for genocide,” he said.

Alliance MLA Nick Mathison, who chairs the Stormont Education Committee, said questions on “the appropriateness of the minister’s trip must be answered”.

“It is entirely understandable that many have expressed concerns about the appropriateness of the trip and the minister’s decision to attend,” he said.

“Over the past two years, the world has watched in horror as Israel continued to commit atrocities in Gaza. It is clear that the Education Minister and his department have significant questions to answer.

“A recent statement from the Department of Education, promoting the minister’s trip, has created additional confusion regarding whether the minister was attending for party business or departmental business.

“There was no prior indication that this was a departmental engagement, making its promotion on official department platforms both surprising and inappropriate.

“There should be no blurring of the minister’s private political activity and the work of the department. It is vital that clarity on the role of the department in this trip is provided urgently.

“I will be seeking clarity from the minister and his officials around the departmental role in this visit. It is vital that there is full transparency in relation to the nature of the trip to Israel in the context of the ongoing conflict.”

Sinn Fein MLA Cathy Mason said: “I have written to the Education Minister to ask a series of questions, including who funded this trip and whether it was undertaken in an official ministerial capacity, or if elements of his visit have been carried out with departmental support.

“If not, I am requesting clarification as to why departmental social media has been used to comment on elements of this trip.

“Teachers, children and parents deserve answers.”

The Department of Education said Mr Givan had been invited by the government of Israel to join an official visit as part of a delegation of representatives from Northern Ireland.

Officials added that Mr Givan decided to take an opportunity to visit Ofek School to learn about the approach it takes to support diverse learners in a high-achieving environment.

“Following his tour of Ofek School, the Education Minister requested the educational visit was highlighted on the department’s social media channels,” they added.

TUV deputy leader Ron McDowell, who also went on the trip to Israel, said he was invited to do so by the Israeli embassy in London.

“The issues specific to the Education Minister are, of course, matters for him,” he said.

“For my own part, I have always been upfront and transparent that I was invited by the Israeli embassy in London to visit the country as a guest of their government.

“There has been nothing underhand about this. Indeed, my party has published multiple videos I have filmed during the visit.

“While Sinn Fein seek to undermine the efforts to secure trade and partnership with the world’s only Jewish state and the only democracy in the Middle East, I am pleased to be part of a delegation seeking to build links.”