On Thursday, February 17, 2022, the Israeli occupation authorities ordered the demolition of the “Ras al-Tin” primary school in Ras At-Tin herding community in the central West Bank.
The Palestinian Ministry of Education affirmed that the European-funded Palestinian primary school is threatened to be demolished under the pretext of being built without an Israeli permit.
The school serves 44 students, from first to sixth grade, from Ras At-Tin community, east of the West Bank city of Ramallah, who otherwise would have to walk around five kilometres to access the school in nearby Al-Mughayyer village.
The European Union, several of its member states, and the United Kingdom provided humanitarian funding for the construction of the notified school.
UN Calls on Israel to Stop House Demolition
The UN has called on Israel to put an end to its house demolition and displacement policies in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The call was made by Stéphane Dujarric, the Spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, during a press conference in New York on Wednesday.
Since Sunday, Israeli settlers and extreme right-wing MK Itamar Ben-Gvir have increased their attacks on Palestinians in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of occupied Jerusalem, protected by Israeli security forces. Such attacks are part of the efforts to expel Palestinian families from their homes.
“We are following up closely the situation in East Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah and the possibility of evicting Palestinians from their homes”, explained Dujarric.
“It is very important to de-escalate the tension and maintain self-control and tranquillity. We continuously ask the Israeli authorities to put an end to the policy of demolishing Palestinian homes and stop evicting Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah and anywhere else in the West Bank.”
When asked to comment on Israel’s killing of 26-year-old Palestinian Nihad Al-Barghouti on Tuesday, Dujarric replied, “We are worried about the escalation of violence in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem.”
