Meet the Seattle public school teacher who thinks Israel ‘chose to obliterate’ its own people
April 2, 2024
As the latest subject in Accuracy in Media’s Antisemitism Accountability Project, AIM President Adam Guillette is paying a visit to a high school teacher.
Ian Golash teaches at Chief Sealth International High School, a public school in Seattle.
Golash has a long, publicly documented history of controversy in the classroom — he once made news for telling his students that “identifying as ‘straight’ is offensive,” and another time for failing a student on a quiz for saying that men can’t get pregnant. Outside the classroom, he has a rap sheet that includes multiple arrests, “which include assault and criminal harassment.”
But the self-proclaimed communist is under fire yet again for his comments following the October 7 Hamas attack.
Meet Seattle public school teacher Ian Golash.
A proud Communist who loves Hamas, he even denies that they raped women and beheaded people.
He’s so delusional that he thinks Israel “chose to obliterate” its own people.
A radical like him shouldn’t be in a classroom.
We’ve…
— Accuracy In Media (@AccuracyInMedia) April 1, 2024
“This time, he’s been slammed by the prominent anti-antisemitism group Stop Antisemitism for denying the heinous acts committed by Hamas, all while pushing his anti-Israel propaganda onto his students,” according to Jason Rantz of KTTH.
“In a November 27 [Facebook] post, Golash allegedly explained what he understood had happened between October 7 and 9. He asked to be corrected if he was wrong “with evidence, please…’
“‘Hamas didn’t behead anyone. Hamas didn’t rape anyone. The bodies found charred beyond recognition were made that way either by Israeli tanks, misses, or helicopter gunships… Hamas soldiers were not carrying weapons that could do that kind of damage to human bodies,’ the post notes.
“The post also claims that ‘Israel, operating under the Hannibal Directive, chose to obliterate Israeli civilians, including at least one child, in their efforts to kill Hamas militants.’
“He concluded by directing an expletive at Israel and Hamas, declaring himself a ‘communist.’”
Of course, his views are not limited to Facebook. Rantz continues:
“Parents have anonymously revealed to the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH that Golash is feeding students a twisted narrative. They’ve shared screenshots of a comic distributed in his class, grossly misrepresenting the Israel-Gaza conflict, painting Israel as the aggressor, and whitewashing Palestinian terrorism.
…
“Children learn that the second intifada was ‘largely peaceful’ until it was met with ‘excessive force by the Israeli military.’ (Note: the Palestinian’s second intifada featured snipers, rockets, and suicide bombers targeting Israel.) Then they’re taught about Israel’s seemingly relentless and unprovoked violence in Gaza, until the October 7 terrorist attack that is described as merely ‘another war, worse than anything seen so far, in which Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has demonized Palestinians.’”
The principal of Chief Sealth sent an email to parents of Golash’s students, but at the time the KTTH article was published, the principal had only said that he was aware but could not share further details. Golash is still teaching at Chief Sealth.
The school won’t hold him accountable for controversies that have made national news. For his arrests, Seattle rewarded Golash with his share of a $10 million settlement — Golash was one of the 50 Black Lives Matter protesters who sued the City of Seattle. No one is holding Golash accountable.
If they won’t, Accuracy in Media will — with a mobile billboard. Stay tuned for more.