Nurit Peled-Elhanan is a prominent Israeli academic, professor, and civil rights activist. She has long served as a professor of language and education at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, focusing her research on linguistic representation and ideological shaping within the Israeli education system. As the daughter of the famous Israeli General Matti Peled, she grew up in a family with a deep political background, which prompted her to examine the nation’s educational and political structures with an even more critical eye.
Her core academic achievements center on her research into Israeli schoolbooks, most notably in her book “Palestine in Israeli School Books: Ideology and Propaganda in Education,” which reveals how curricula dehumanize Palestinians through language and imagery. In recognition of her outstanding contributions to human rights and freedom of expression, she was awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought by the European Parliament in 2001. Her research is considered a landmark in understanding the intersection of “soft power” and educational indoctrination in the Middle East conflict.
Peled-Elhanan’s support for Palestine stems from a profound and painful humanitarian stance: in 1997, her 13-year-old daughter was killed in a suicide bombing, but instead of turning to hatred, she publicly blamed Israel’s occupation policies as the root cause of the cycle of tragedy. She is a co-founder of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine, actively pushing the international community to scrutinize Israel’s actions in the Palestinian territories. She adamantly opposes the occupation, arguing that the oppression of Palestinians not only destroys their lives but also morally corrodes Israeli society. Consistently calling for equality and justice between the two peoples, she is internationally recognized as one of the most courageous critical voices within Israel.