Palestinian children in East Jerusalem could lose school on looms due to Israeli order closure

Jerusalem (AP) – Standing in East Jerusalem Ahmad Shuwaike, a construction worker in the Palestinian school where he attended as a young boy, is studying the careful penis ship of his son. The classroom may be closed on Friday, and the nine-year-old Reiss will not be able to study.

Shweikeh, 38, says he hopes that Reis, the shy boy at the top of his class, will become a surgeon.

“I wasn’t expecting this,” Schweike said. “From here I saw some of my classmates become engineers and doctors. I was hoping that Reis would follow in their footsteps.”

school It is one of six East Jerusalem run by the United Nations. Palestinian refugee agency known as Unrwa. Israeli soldiers appeared at school last month on riot equipment and ordered it to be closed within 30 days. Now parents worry about their children losing valuable opportunities to learn. And if they are made to enroll in Israeli schools, they worry for the safety of their children.

The closure order comes after Israel bans UNRWA From operations in Israeli soil Earlier this year, the pinnacle of a long campaign against the institution that intensified following Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

Unrwa is Main Education Providers and health care Palestinian refugees in East JerusalemIsrael was arrested in the Middle East War in 1967. Although UNRWA schools on the West Bank of Israeli occupation have not been ordered to close to 800 Palestinian students in East Jerusalem between first and ninth grades. Israel annexed East Jerusalem and considers the entire city to be a unified capital.

Israel says it will reassign students to other schools

The Israeli Ministry of Education says it will put students in other Jerusalem schools. However, parents, teachers and administrators have warned that closing the main school for Palestinian refugee children in East Jerusalem will promise a surge in absenteeism.

For students in the Surefat refugee camp like Reiss, switching to schools in Israel means crossing the enormous barrier that separates homes from other parts of Jerusalem every day.

Some students are not even eligible to use the intersection, said Fahed Qatousa, vice principal of Unrwa Boys’ School in Shuafat. According to Katosa, approximately 100 students at the UNRWA school in Surefat have West Bank identification.

“I will never send a wraith to a school where he has to go through checkpoints or traffic,” Schweike said.

In a statement to the Associated Press, the Israeli Ministry of Education said that schools are closing because they operate without a license. The agency has promised “a significantly higher level and quality education solution than what is offered in closed institutions.” “Ensure immediate and optimal integration for all students.”

Katausa fears that students will lose their chances of getting an education.

“Israel schools are overcrowded and unable to bring many students. This means that there is a higher percentage of students not attending school. For girls, they get married early. For boys, they will join the Israeli job market,” Katosa said.

Reis remembers the moment the military entered his school last month.

“The soldiers spoke to the school teachers and told them they were going to close the school,” Reiss said. “I don’t want to close schools. I want to be here and continue to complete my education.”

His teacher, Duaa Zourba, worked in school for 21 years, said the teacher was “psychologically hurt” by the Israeli order.

“Some of the teachers were in panic. They started crying because of the situation, because they were very angry at it. I mean, how can we leave this place? We have been here for years. We have memories of ourselves,” Zurba said.

Israel claims that the UN is teaching the idea of ​​anti-Semitism

Israel claims that UNRWA schools teach anti-Semitic content and anti-Israel sentiment. A UNRWA review of textbooks for 2022-2023 found that less than 4% of pages contained “issue concerns about UN values, guidance, or conflict positions.”

Independent panel Neutrality reviewed Unrwa after Israel I insisted that Dozens of Gaza employees participated in the Hamas October 7 attack. The panel issued a set of recommendations, including the adoption of a “zero tolerance policy” on anti-Semitic views in the textbook and hate speech.

The Israeli Ministry of Education says parents were instructed to register their children at other schools in Jerusalem. The parents told the AP that they weren’t.

Zourba said the exams will be held as scheduled for late May. UNRWA administrators have pledged to keep schools open for as long as possible until Israeli authorities force them to shut down.

Israeli police on the day AP reporter visited the school I fired tear gas When the boy played soccer outside, he went to the front yard of school. Gas swirled through the hallways, sprinting at the kids indoors, drooling, coughing and crying.

Police spokesman Mayor Mirit Ben said the military has responded to throwing rocks inside the camp but has denied specifically targeting schools.

When the gas was filtered through the school, Zulba wore a disposable mask and ran to check on students.

“As Shuafat teachers, our first job has always been to ensure the protection and safety of our children,” she said. “Whenever there is an attack, close the windows. Close the doors so that they don’t smell very heavy tear gas.”

The “goal” is “to remember that kids always consider this school a safe place and that there is a place for them.”