A Haaretz investigation has uncovered a secret surveillance unit operating within Israel's Education Ministry, whose apparent goal is to silence teachers who criticize the government. Internal documents reveal that the unit, headed by a former Shin Bet (internal security service) operative, has been compiling detailed files on educators — monitoring their social media posts, protest participation, and political statements. One such file, 14 pages long and marked as an internal document, tracked a school counselor named Yaron Avni at the Democratic School in Hod Hasharon. The file was compiled around the time of the mass protests against the government's judicial overhaul, during which Avni, like many Israelis, publicly expressed opposition to the government's policies. The investigation suggests this is not an isolated case, but part of a broader, systematic effort to monitor and intimidate left-wing and Arab educators. The mechanism was never intended to become public, indicating it operated in secrecy within the ministry's bureaucracy. Source: Haaretz