Teacher Threatened to Behead Student Over Israeli Flag: Sheriff's Office

A Georgia teacher threatened to behead a middle school student over a dispute about an Israeli flag, according to the Houston County Sheriff's Office.

The incident comes as tensions grow across the world between pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian groups amid fighting in Gaza. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has worsened as the Israeli military pushes further south targeting the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Benjamin Reese, a 51-year-old seventh-grade social studies teacher at Warner Robins Middle School, which is about a 2-hour drive southeast of Atlanta, was arrested on Friday on charges of terroristic threats and cruelty to children in the third degree.

The charges stem from a dispute that Reese had with the student on December 7. According to Reese, as recorded by the sheriff's office, the student came to his classroom and told him that she found it offensive that he had an Israeli flag on display. He then told her that she was being antisemitic.

According to the incident report, several witnesses at the school informed police that Reese was heard yelling "you motherf***ing piece of shit! I'll kick your ass! I should cut your motherf***ing head off!"

The student also recalled the exchange she had with Reese to the police. According to her account, which was recorded in the incident report, she asked Reese why he had the Israeli flag hanging in his classroom. Reese reportedly told her that he was Jewish and has family members in Israel. The student then recalled telling Reese that she found the flag offensive "due to Israelis killing Pakistanians [sic]."

Houston Country Schools issued a statement following the incident: "All employees of the Houston County School District are required to follow the Code of Ethics for Educators. If there is a violation or accusation of a violation, we investigate and respond appropriately.

"While we are not able to discuss specific personnel matters, we can share that Mr. Reese has not been on the campus of Warner Robins Middle School since Dec. 7, 2023. Safety and the well-being of our students and staff is our number one priority."

The school district did not disclose the employment status of Reese to Newsweek when reached for comment.

The current conflict between Israel and Gaza has been ongoing for more than two months, with the exception of a weeklong ceasefire last month to exchange Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners.

On October 7, Hamas led the deadliest Palestinian militant attack on Israel in history. Israel subsequently launched its heaviest-ever airstrikes on Gaza. Israeli officials have said that 1,200 people in Israel were killed in Hamas' attack, according to the Associated Press, while more than 18,400 Palestinians have been killed, officials from the health ministry in Gaza said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his country is "at war" and has cut off supplies of food, fuel, electricity and medicine to Gaza.

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