DUP minister’s ‘unofficial’ Israel visit was assisted by civil servants

Education Minister, Paul Givan, of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) made a visit to Israel in October, assisted by the Department of Education (DoE), despite its private and propagandistic nature.

It transpired during a recent meeting of the Education committee at Stormont on 12 November, that the junket to the terrorist entity known as ‘Israel’ was aided on 10 occasions by the Department of Education (DoE), Interim Permanent Secretary Department of Education, Ronnie Armour, exposed.

Armour explained that the assistance was “largely [in the form of] short email responses”. He also acknowledged that a letter of acceptance issued by the department confirmed travel logistics.

Most controversially, the DoE, at Givan’s request, published a press statement publicising his visit to a school in East Jerusalem and praising Israel’s “inclusive” approach to education.

Under international law, the Ofek School is situated on land that is illegally occupied. The expropriation of indigenous Palestinian land remains central to Israel’s raison d’etat. Armour approved the press release though he insisted that at the time he was unaware of the school’s location. Under questioning from Sinn Féin MLA Pat Sheehan, he said:

Had I known about the location of the school, it would have been a factor to take into account.

Department of Education put out pro-Zionist propaganda in press release

He refused to specify what decision he would have made otherwise. He argued that factuality and business relevance were the main factors when approving releases. But the statement went beyond the merely factual:

It’s inspiring to see how Ofek School and the Israeli Ministry of Education are investing in the potential of gifted learners while maintaining an inclusive approach that ensures every student feels valued and supported.

The emphasis on inclusivity serves to whitewash the reputation of an apartheid settler-colony which terrorises the indigenous. It goes beyond relating strictly “to the business of the department”, as Armour claimed, serving as propaganda for a foreign entity. Alliance’s Michelle Goyle, described the trip as fundamentally political and said the civil service could have avoided being “dragged” into the matter if the DUP representative publicised the trip using his personal social media instead of government channels.

‘Israel’-funded trip reveals a corrupt system

When pressed about the involvement of DoE officials in a supposedly private matter, Armour insisted:

Officials were just passing emails on, though some responded directly to the [Israeli] embassy.

Sheehan also asked:

Do you not have a moral responsibility when making these decisions?

He continued:

Do you think it’s appropriate for the minister to visit a country responsible for the deaths of over 20,000 kids [which has] destroyed every school in Gaza, every university?

The Interim Permanent Secretary said:

My heart goes out to everybody who has suffered in that part of the world.

He insisted it wasn’t his role to take into account the politics at play. Sheehan countered by referencing the school’s location and the arrest warrants issued by  out for Israeli politicians:

It’s not politics – it’s the law.

Concerns of local school staff ignored

Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) MLA Cara Hunter again pointed out the contradictions of the trip. She identified a photograph featuring an Israeli flag, a Union Jack, and a name card featuring Givan’s ministerial title.

Sinn Féin MLA Danny Baker rightly pointed to DoE officials’ obligation to the frontline staff in their department, saying:

You’re responsible for the wellbeing of teachers, pupils and school leaders and they’re all concerned [by your decisions].

Clearly, allowing propaganda through official channels shows a complete disregard towards staff and their concerns.

Armour apathetically maintained that regardless of the political context:

whatever scenario I had opted for was going to be controversial.

It’s hard to believe that, in the unlikely event of a minister visiting a school in Russia or Iran, Armour would have approved a glowing press release. Once again, ‘Israel’ gets special treatment, despite its army committing crimes well in excess of any other equivalent force.

Givan using controversy for political gain

It turns out Givan has already been invited back to the settler-colony already, so pleased were his benefactors with his prostration. In his words, Armour said:

An invitation has been received by the department for the minister to attend a conference in the new year.

Givan predictably survived a vote of no confidence on Monday, in a system that requires strong backing from unionist and nationalist parties for such a vote to succeed. One protester was ejected from the Stormont gallery for interrupting the DUP minister with shouts of “shame on you”, accusing him of backing genocide.

The Lagan Valley MLA has continued to make political capital out of the matter. They have been flooding his Facebook page with posts, alongside others celebrating victimising trans people, and photos of Remembrance Sunday.

A lot of bluster about issues entirely unrelated to the material concerns of his constituents, and the actual business of improving education.

An all too familiar template for a political right worldwide, eager to divide and distract rather than do anything useful for those they’re meant to serve.