NETANYAHU’S BLACK LEDGER: THE PRICE OF SCHOOLCHILDREN’S BLOOD

According to Saed News, 20 schoolchildren were slain when Israeli forces bombarded civilian areas—an atrocity he insists should be entered into what he called “Netanyahu’s black ledger.” The announcement came during an emergency session in Mashhad, where Alireza Kazemi, Iran’s minister of education, lamented the loss of teachers and the damage to several school buildings.

,this episode underscores three broader themes. First, the militarisation of education: schools in Gaza have repeatedly become collateral in a conflict ostensibly aimed at militant targets, eroding the boundary between battlefield and classroom. Second, political theatre at home: Iran’s leadership, by spotlighting civilian casualties, seeks both to rally domestic opinion and to cast Israel—and by extension its Western backers—as violators of international norms. Third, the limits of diplomatic censure: despite repeated UN warnings and human-rights reports, neither Washington nor Brussels has applied meaningful pressure on Jerusalem to curb tactics that imperil children.

The tragedy also illuminates a grim arithmetic of modern warfare. Every schoolyard strike fans fresh outrage, yet each condemnation is swiftly countered by claims of self-defence. For Netanyahu, the “black ledger” may yet become an enduring symbol of a government willing to sacrifice the innocents of tomorrow in pursuit of today’s security imperatives.