The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) continue to target the Palestinian education sector by launching a series of arrests, raids and attacks on students and teachers, in a flagrant violation of the right to education guaranteed by international conventions.
On Wednesday, the IOF stormed several areas in the Ramallah and Al-Bireh Governorate, where they arrested student Shahd Majed Hassan from her home in the Ein Misbah neighborhood, while they arrested student Muhannad Bazar from the village of Beit Lilo after storming his home and vandalizing its contents.
These arrests are part of a policy aimed to imposing restrictions on Palestinian students, especially in universities.
Furthermore, the occupation authorities issued a notice to demolish the Palestine Mixed Elementary School in the Susya area in Masafer Yatta, claiming it does not have a licence.
The occupation administration informed the school principal, Maha Abu Zahra, that the existence of the school encourages Palestinians to remain on their lands, clearly meaning that the main goal of the demolition decision is not legal, but rather part of the forced displacement policy that seeks to empty the Palestinian areas for settlement expansion.
The school includes about 140 male and female students, all of whom are now threatened with losing their right to education if the demolition decision is implemented. The occupation authorities did not provide any alternatives that can secure the students’ basic right to education.
The IOF also sent military reinforcements to the town of Shuqba, west of Ramallah, and stormed the girls’ school on Tuesday during school hours.
This storming caused a state of fear among the students, especially since the soldiers entered the school and searched the classrooms, without any clear security justification.
On Tuesday, the IOF targeted students in the town of Al-Khader, south of Bethlehem, while leaving schools. They fired tear gas and sound bombs heavily, causing a number of the students to suffocate.
The soldiers pursued the students inside the popular neighbourhoods and on the main street, causing a state of panic among the children and their parents.
Al-Khader schools are witnessing a continuous escalation by the occupation, as these attacks are almost daily. It aims to create an unstable environment that hinders the educational process.
Targeting children with toxic gas and chasing them in the streets reveals the level of repression practiced by the occupation against Palestinian students, which requires international intervention to stop these practices that violate the basic rights of children.
The occupation’s escalation against education in Palestine comes within a broader context of repressive policies that aim to restrict the lives of Palestinians and prevent them from building their future.
In light of this escalation, the reasons for urgent action to stop the occupation’s violations are increasing, especially since the right to education is guaranteed under international law, especially the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which prohibits any targeting of children and their education.
The Israeli violations in the West Bank, including arrests and attacks on schools and students, reflects the difficult reality that Palestinians live under an occupation that seeks to deprive them of their most basic rights, most importantly their right to learn and build their future in freedom and security.
