Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced a comprehensive education reform initiative on Tuesday, outlining his vision for a unified national curriculum that would serve all students across the country.
Bennett introduced his ‘From Tribes to a People’ initiative during remarks at the Israel Democracy Institute’s Eli Hurvitz Conference on Economy and Society, stating the plan would take effect if he leads a future administration.
Bennett currently heads Together, a political coalition he formed with Yair Lapid by combining his Bennett 2026 party with Lapid’s Yesh Atid movement in preparation for the upcoming election.
The next parliamentary election in Israel is set for October 27, 2026, though current efforts to dissolve the parliament could advance the voting date by several weeks.
The educational framework Bennett outlined would require all students to take core classes in Hebrew, English, mathematics, civics, Torah, and Jewish and Zionist tradition. Bennett noted that Muslim students would have the choice to study the Quran in place of Torah classes.
‘I am proud to unveil before you the most important plan that we will implement in my government: the ‘From Tribes to a People’ plan, to establish one state (public) education system for all the children of Israel,’ Bennett declared.
‘This will work according to a 60–40 method: 60 percent will be the shared subjects that everyone studies, and 40 percent — each community will be able to expand according to its wishes,’ Bennett explained.
Bennett outlined that individual schools and local governments would gain increased control over the curriculum portion not covered by the common core requirements, while the Education Ministry would shift its focus to policy development and supervision.
The former prime minister emphasized that his proposal extends beyond conventional debates about basic educational standards.
‘For all these years we said, ‘Let them study mathematics and English.’ No—that is not enough. They need to receive both the tools and the values to be part of a Jewish and democratic state,’ he stated.
Bennett described the plan as an effort to establish shared civic and cultural foundations throughout Israeli society.
‘The children of Israel will study both Einstein and Maimonides. All Israeli children and all Israeli citizens will have a shared story,’ Bennett said.
‘This will turn us from tribes into a people: one people, diverse, colorful, and wonderful, very opinionated, but a people that has a shared story. And this is how Israel will develop resilience for generations to come.’
