Palestinian students strike as Israel bans access to West Bank teachers 

At least 25,000 students in occupied East Jerusalem are taking part in a strike after Israel prevented access to teachers from the occupied West Bank.

The strike was called by the General Secretariat of Christian Educational Institutions in Jerusalem and later joined by all private schools in East Jerusalem.

It follows Israel’s decision to limit the number of days on which work permits are granted to teachers from the West Bank. Under Israeli rules, Palestinians must obtain a permit from the Israeli military to cross checkpoints separating the West Bank from East Jerusalem.

Mustafa Barghouti, secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative party, said on Wednesday that 13 Christian schools were taking part in the strike and others were preparing to do the same.

“The reason goes deeper than just the issue of the teachers. It reflects dismay about the Israeli-imposed illegal rules,” he wrote on X without elaborating.

The Times of Israel quoted Richard Zananiri, director of the private St George’s School, as saying the restrictions affect more than half of the roughly 300 teachers employed across all private schools in the city.

“We are not happy that children are staying at home,” Zananiri said, adding that discussions were ongoing with Israeli authorities to ensure the resumption of all activities.

The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that the Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education slammed Israel’s move as a serious violation of the right to education. According to the report, the ministry charged that Israel’s actions were part of a systematic policy aimed at undermining Palestinian identity in East Jerusalem.

Israeli media also reported the closure of six schools in East Jerusalem run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), which Israel has repeatedly claimed, without evidence, was complicit with Hamas in the October 7, 2023, attacks on southern Israel.

In October, the International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion saying Israel must support UN relief efforts in Gaza, including those conducted by UNRWA. The court found that Israel’s allegations against UNRWA were unsubstantiated.

The court also said Israel, as the occupying power, had to ensure that the “basic needs” of the Palestinian population of Gaza were met, “including the supplies essential for survival”, such as food, water, shelter, fuel and medicines.