The Media Line: Bennett Pitches ‘From Tribes to a People’ Education Reform Ahead of Election 

Bennett Pitches ‘From Tribes to a People’ Education Reform Ahead of Election  

By The Media Line Staff  

Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett unveiled a proposal for a unified national education framework on Tuesday, describing it as a plan to create a shared educational foundation for all children in Israel.  

Speaking at the Israel Democracy Institute’s Eli Hurvitz Conference on Economy and Society, Bennett presented what he called the “From Tribes to a People” plan, which he said would be implemented under a future government led by him.  

Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid currently lead Together, a joint political alliance formed ahead of Israel’s next election. Bennett heads the alliance, which was created through the merger of his Bennett 2026 party and Lapid’s Yesh Atid.   

Israel’s next Knesset election is currently scheduled to be held by October 27, 2026, although ongoing efforts to dissolve the Knesset could move the vote forward by several weeks.  

Under the “From Tribes to People” proposal, all students would study a common curriculum that includes Hebrew, English, mathematics, civics, Torah, and Jewish and Zionist tradition. Bennett said Muslim students would have the option of studying the Quran instead of the Torah.  

“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 said.  

“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 said.  

According to Bennett, schools and local authorities would receive greater autonomy over the portion of the curriculum not included in the shared core, while the Education Ministry would focus on policy and oversight.  

Bennett said the initiative goes beyond traditional discussions surrounding core educational requirements.  

“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 said.  

The former prime minister said the proposal would seek to create a common civic and cultural foundation across 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.”