Is this part of a move to increase religion in the public sphere? No. To Netanyahu and to the right in general, the Bible is basically seen as a combination property deed and writ of absolution: It all belongs to us, it always has, and therefore we have the right to do as we please. In fact, this is the main use that Israeli public schools makes of Judaism.
As Prof. Moshe Halbertal has noted, no matter how despicable the deed, a Bible verse will always be found to justify it. But meanwhile, secular and leftist parents, who are currently poring over their children’s textbooks in search of prayers that have infiltrated math exercises, are more afraid of some imaginary plot to turn their kids religious and are ignoring what’s right in front of their faces: an organized effort to introduce right-wing political messages. [...]
Religion is only the hammer with which the sole truth is pounded into the heads of high school students and soldiers — the holiness of the mission, that is, military rule over the Palestinians. If somebody decides to start wearing a kippa, that’s a bonus, but that’s not the real goal. If it were really about religion, the students and soldiers would be shown other aspects of it that don’t automatically support the occupation and justify that support with a divine imperative.
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