Teacher in Jerusalem in police custody over Facebook posts opposing Israel's Gaza assault

A history teacher in Jerusalem was fired from his job and is now in police custody after posting several messages on Facebook in which he opposed Israel's actions in Gaza, and showed compassion for Palestinians suffering in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

A court in Jerusalem extended the remand of Meir Baruchin on Friday by four days, as police are seeking approval to open an investigation into whether Baruchin's comments amount to incitement.

One of his posts, written on 8 October, mentioned the killing of two young Palestinians in the West Bank.

“They were born under occupation and lived under it their entire lives,” he wrote, as reported by Haaretz.

“They never knew one day of true freedom. They never will… they were executed this evening by our outstanding boys.”

According to Haaretz, police also looked into a comment in response to the claim that Hamas fighters raped women during the attack on 7 October, in which Baruchin stated that Israeli soldiers raped Palestinian women in 1948.