Politics1 min read

How Israel is tightening its grip on Palestinian schools in East Jerusalem

By · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Israeli policies are conditioning funding for new schools on the implementation of the Israeli curriculum, backed by a government initiative that directs about half of its education budget toward this expansion. Staffing challenges are mounting because laws bar the hiring of educators with degrees from Palestinian universities, alongside upcoming permit revocations for 180 West Bank teachers. Consequently, student participation in the Israeli system has surged to over 45,000, representing roughly 38 percent of the city's total student body.

Key points

  • Israeli authorities are using selective financial incentives to replace Palestinian curri…: Israeli authorities are using selective financial incentives to replace Palestinian curricula with their own in East Jerusalem schools.
  • Restrictive permit rules and degree prohibitions are worsening educator shortages and fue…: Restrictive permit rules and degree prohibitions are worsening educator shortages and fueling classroom strikes.
  • Nearly 38 percent of the city's Palestinian student population is now studying under the…: Nearly 38 percent of the city's Palestinian student population is now studying under the Israeli academic system.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

Israeli restrictions on teachers and pressure to adopt Israeli curriculum threaten Palestinian education in the city.

Jamal Shalabi is a 66-year-old chemistry teacher living in el-Bireh, in the occupied West Bank, but since 1998 he has taught in occupied East Jerusalem, making the commute through Israeli checkpoints every day.

The process was tiring, but it allowed him to work. But he now fears that soon won’t be the case, after he was informed by his school’s administration that he was one of 180 Palestinian teachers whose travel permits allowing them entry into East Jerusalem would be revoked upon their expiry at the end of the 2026-27 academic year.

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The denial of entry permits to teachers is one of the most prominent restrictions imposed by Israel on schools in East…

Politics