The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its strong condemnation of Israel’s war on education in Jerusalem, especially the harassment and obstruction faced by students and teachers on their way to schools and workplaces.
The Ministry issued a press statement on Monday, stating that one of the recent examples of these crimes was the Israeli police blocking the access of students from the Sharia School and the Riyad al-Aqsa Kindergarten, which are located inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. The police also searched their school bags and seized their textbooks, claiming that they followed the Palestinian curriculum and had the Palestinian flag on them.
The Ministry said that this was part of Israel’s ongoing campaign against the Palestinian education authorities in Jerusalem, and an attempt to undermine the Palestinian curriculum and disrupt the start of the school year in the holy city. The Ministry also accused Israel of using intimidation and coercion against Jerusalem students.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged the international community and its institutions, especially UNESCO, to intervene urgently to protect education and to stop Israel’s arbitrary actions against educational institutions and students in occupied Jerusalem.
