NEWS
Tucker Carlson Claims Israeli Schools Avoid Plus (+) Sign Because It Resembles Christian Cross
U.S. journalist and political commentator Tucker Carlson has sparked fresh debate over Israel and its treatment of Christian symbols after claiming that Israeli schools do not use the conventional “+” sign in mathematics because of its resemblance to the Christian cross.
Carlson made the claim as he questioned the level of U.S. support for Israel and urged American Christians to pay closer attention to how their government’s policies and funding are directed.
“Israeli schools don’t use the ‘+’ sign in math because it resembles a cross,” Carlson said. “Christians in the U.S. should know what they’re funding.”
The claim has circulated widely online, with social media posts repeating Carlson’s remarks in discussions about Israel, Christianity and American foreign policy.
However, available reporting indicates that the issue is more nuanced than the broad claim that Israeli schools generally do not use the plus sign. A transcript of a recent Tucker Carlson programme describes the practice as occurring in some religious Israeli schools, where an alternative symbol is reportedly used because the conventional plus sign resembles a Christian cross.
The controversy comes amid Carlson’s increasingly outspoken criticism of U.S. support for Israel and his arguments that American Christians should reconsider the country’s involvement in Middle Eastern conflicts. His comments on Israel and Christianity have previously generated significant criticism and fact-checking disputes.
Carlson’s latest statement is therefore likely to fuel another round of debate over the relationship between Israel, Christianity and American foreign policy, particularly among U.S. Christians who support continued American assistance to Israel.
The broader question raised by Carlson is whether American taxpayers and Christian supporters of Israel fully understand how U.S. assistance is being used and what it means for Christians and other communities across the region.
The specific claim about the mathematical symbol, however, should be understood in its narrower reported context rather than as evidence that the plus sign is universally prohibited across Israel’s education system.