13 sept 2017
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Hasan Issa Jaradat 15
A Palestinian youth was shot and seriously injured by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) on Wednesday afternoon at the entrance to Kiryat Arba illegal settlement east of al-Khalil in the southern West Bank after alleged stabbing attempt. Israeli Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper claimed that a Palestinian man attempted to carry out a stabbing attack at a junction near the settlement before he was shot by IOF gunfire. Media sources described the injury of the Palestinian wounded man |
as moderate to serious.
Israeli forces shoot, injure 13-year-old Palestinian during alleged attack in Hebron
Israeli forces shot and wounded a 13-year-old Palestinian east of Hebron city outside Israel’s illegal Kiryat Arba settlement in the southern occupied West Bank on Wednesday for allegedly attempting to commit a stabbing attack at the gate of the settlement.
An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma’an that the Palestinian teen had ran toward a bus station at the Elias junction near the entrance of Kiryat Arba and attempted a stabbing attack. The Israeli army "responded to the immediate threat by firing toward the instigator, who was then injured," the spokesperson said.
Hebrew-language media also reported that when the Palestinian had approached the bus stop near the settlement, it "aroused the suspicions" of a group of Israeli settlers in the area, who then called over an Israeli soldier. The Palestinian then allegedly ran toward the settlers with a knife, and the soldier shot him in the stomach.
The army spokesperson added that the Palestinian was taken to a hospital in Jerusalem for medical treatment. No injuries were sustained among soldiers or Israeli settlers in the area.
Local Palestinian sources later identified the Palestinian as Hasan Issa Jaradat, 13, from the village of Sair in the Hebron district. The sources added that his injuries were serious.
Meanwhile, a video was later released of the incident after the teen was shot.
An Israeli officer in the video asked Jaradat what he was doing in the area, the teen replied that he came in order to commit suicide. "Why?" the officer asked him, but Jaradat only replied that he wanted water. The officer asked him if he had come to the area to commit an attack. The boy did not answer and instead continued to ask for water.
The video has prompted some to comment that the teen was attempting suicide, rather than actually seeking to commit an attack on Israelis.
Since Palestinians are almost always killed by Israeli forces during attacks, there has been rising suspicion that some Palestinian youth, facing extreme hopelessness from years living under a brutal military occupation or experiencing problems at home, decide to carry knives and approach Israeli soldiers with the knowledge that they will be shot to death.
Israeli forces routinely shoot Palestinians, oftentimes killing them, during actual or alleged attacks on Israelis, even if the Palestinian could be detained through nonlethal means. This Israeli practice has prompted rights groups to accuse Israel of carrying out "extrajudicial executions" on Palestinians.
Meanwhile, the Hebron area has faced an uptick in Israeli settler attacks on Palestinian communities in recent weeks. Israeli settlers, in stark contrast to Israel's treatment of Palestinians, are rarely held accountable for attacks on Palestinians.
According to Ma'an documentation, 55 Palestinians have been killed by Israelis since the beginning of the year during actual or alleged attacks, while at least 18 of these Palestinians were killed during clashes with Israeli forces or during violent Israeli raids in the occupied West Bank.
Since the beginning of 2017, 13 Israelis have been killed by Palestinians, almost all of whom were uniformed Israeli officers or Israeli settlers residing in occupied Palestinian territory in violation of international law.
Palestinians have often cited the daily frustrations and routine Israeli military violence imposed by Israel's nearly half century occupation of the Palestinian territory as main drivers for political attacks on Israelis.
Israeli forces shoot, injure 13-year-old Palestinian during alleged attack in Hebron
Israeli forces shot and wounded a 13-year-old Palestinian east of Hebron city outside Israel’s illegal Kiryat Arba settlement in the southern occupied West Bank on Wednesday for allegedly attempting to commit a stabbing attack at the gate of the settlement.
An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma’an that the Palestinian teen had ran toward a bus station at the Elias junction near the entrance of Kiryat Arba and attempted a stabbing attack. The Israeli army "responded to the immediate threat by firing toward the instigator, who was then injured," the spokesperson said.
Hebrew-language media also reported that when the Palestinian had approached the bus stop near the settlement, it "aroused the suspicions" of a group of Israeli settlers in the area, who then called over an Israeli soldier. The Palestinian then allegedly ran toward the settlers with a knife, and the soldier shot him in the stomach.
The army spokesperson added that the Palestinian was taken to a hospital in Jerusalem for medical treatment. No injuries were sustained among soldiers or Israeli settlers in the area.
Local Palestinian sources later identified the Palestinian as Hasan Issa Jaradat, 13, from the village of Sair in the Hebron district. The sources added that his injuries were serious.
Meanwhile, a video was later released of the incident after the teen was shot.
An Israeli officer in the video asked Jaradat what he was doing in the area, the teen replied that he came in order to commit suicide. "Why?" the officer asked him, but Jaradat only replied that he wanted water. The officer asked him if he had come to the area to commit an attack. The boy did not answer and instead continued to ask for water.
The video has prompted some to comment that the teen was attempting suicide, rather than actually seeking to commit an attack on Israelis.
Since Palestinians are almost always killed by Israeli forces during attacks, there has been rising suspicion that some Palestinian youth, facing extreme hopelessness from years living under a brutal military occupation or experiencing problems at home, decide to carry knives and approach Israeli soldiers with the knowledge that they will be shot to death.
Israeli forces routinely shoot Palestinians, oftentimes killing them, during actual or alleged attacks on Israelis, even if the Palestinian could be detained through nonlethal means. This Israeli practice has prompted rights groups to accuse Israel of carrying out "extrajudicial executions" on Palestinians.
Meanwhile, the Hebron area has faced an uptick in Israeli settler attacks on Palestinian communities in recent weeks. Israeli settlers, in stark contrast to Israel's treatment of Palestinians, are rarely held accountable for attacks on Palestinians.
According to Ma'an documentation, 55 Palestinians have been killed by Israelis since the beginning of the year during actual or alleged attacks, while at least 18 of these Palestinians were killed during clashes with Israeli forces or during violent Israeli raids in the occupied West Bank.
Since the beginning of 2017, 13 Israelis have been killed by Palestinians, almost all of whom were uniformed Israeli officers or Israeli settlers residing in occupied Palestinian territory in violation of international law.
Palestinians have often cited the daily frustrations and routine Israeli military violence imposed by Israel's nearly half century occupation of the Palestinian territory as main drivers for political attacks on Israelis.
Kuwaiti deputy foreign minister Khaled al-Jarallah announced on Tuesday that his country would host on November 12 an international conference on Palestinian children and their suffering from Israeli violations.
Jarallah made the announcement during his speech at the 148th ordinary session of the Arab League in Cairo.
He said that Kuwait is keen on helping the Palestinian people overcome their suffering under the occupation.
The foreign minister affirmed that the conference would be held in view of Israel’s persistent violation of the UN convention of the rights of the child.
Jarallah made the announcement during his speech at the 148th ordinary session of the Arab League in Cairo.
He said that Kuwait is keen on helping the Palestinian people overcome their suffering under the occupation.
The foreign minister affirmed that the conference would be held in view of Israel’s persistent violation of the UN convention of the rights of the child.
12 sept 2017
Jerusalem's Directorate of Education on Tuesday held the Israeli authorities responsible for depriving 4,000 Palestinian students of education due to the closure of Dar al-Marefa schools in the city.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Directorate said that it is working, in cooperation with the relevant authorities, to send the students to other schools in the area, stressing that the Israeli decision providing for the closure of the schools is based on flimsy arguments.
The Directorate affirmed that it is doing its best to re-open Dar al-Marefa schools though the buildings' owners have received threats not to violate the Israeli authorities' decision.
It was greed with a number of schools to host the students of Dar al-Marefa temporarily, the Directorate added, assuring the students that they will be compensated for the days they have missed at school.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Directorate said that it is working, in cooperation with the relevant authorities, to send the students to other schools in the area, stressing that the Israeli decision providing for the closure of the schools is based on flimsy arguments.
The Directorate affirmed that it is doing its best to re-open Dar al-Marefa schools though the buildings' owners have received threats not to violate the Israeli authorities' decision.
It was greed with a number of schools to host the students of Dar al-Marefa temporarily, the Directorate added, assuring the students that they will be compensated for the days they have missed at school.
Two Palestinian detained juveniles in Israeli Ofer prison affirmed being subjected to abuse and inhuman treatment during their arrest and through their transfer journeys to detention centers.
The lawyer of Detainees and Ex-detainees Committee, Luai Ukkeh, quoted the 17-year-old captive Mahmoud Zeid, from al-Jalazoun refugee camp near Ramallah and Yousef Dar al-Sheikh, 18, from Beddo town near Occupied Jerusalem, as telling how they were subjected to practices violating their human rights, the international law, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Both detained minors said they were violently beaten at the hands of Israeli soldiers on the face and all parts of the body. They were pushed and forced into military jeeps while being handcuffed and blindfolded. The captives were arrested on August 14 and 23 respectively in the early morning hours from their homes.
The lawyer of Detainees and Ex-detainees Committee, Luai Ukkeh, quoted the 17-year-old captive Mahmoud Zeid, from al-Jalazoun refugee camp near Ramallah and Yousef Dar al-Sheikh, 18, from Beddo town near Occupied Jerusalem, as telling how they were subjected to practices violating their human rights, the international law, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Both detained minors said they were violently beaten at the hands of Israeli soldiers on the face and all parts of the body. They were pushed and forced into military jeeps while being handcuffed and blindfolded. The captives were arrested on August 14 and 23 respectively in the early morning hours from their homes.
The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) arrested Tuesday morning a Palestinian child at a military checkpoint erected near the Ibrahimi Mosque in the southern West Bank province of al-Khalil.
The PIC reporter quoted local sources as saying that a 15-year-old boy was detained and taken to unknown investigation center for allegedly having a knife in his possession.
Israel is the only country in the world that prosecutes children in military courts that lack basic and fundamental fair trial guarantees.
Around 500-700 Palestinian children are arrested, detained and prosecuted in the Israeli military court system each year.
The PIC reporter quoted local sources as saying that a 15-year-old boy was detained and taken to unknown investigation center for allegedly having a knife in his possession.
Israel is the only country in the world that prosecutes children in military courts that lack basic and fundamental fair trial guarantees.
Around 500-700 Palestinian children are arrested, detained and prosecuted in the Israeli military court system each year.
8 sept 2017
“I knocked all doors to complete my treatment, so that I could go on with my life in a proper way,” with these words, freed prisoner Usama Murad Zidat, 15, began his speech with the PIC reporter.
Zidat is from the town of Bani Naim to the east of Hebron and despite his courage and honesty; his tone revealed pain and sadness because of the closure of all doors in his face, after promises of traveling outside Palestine to complete his treatment went in vain.
Injury and arrest
“I was 14 years old when I came under fire by the Israeli army in Al-Baqa'a neighborhood, east of Hebron. I was coming from the town of Bani Naim, 4 km away,” Zidat recounts. “Then the soldiers surrounded me from everywhere and fired bullets at me hitting my body with three bullets. Two bullets penetrated my right thigh while the third penetrated my chest.”
He told the PIC reporter, “The 23rd of September in 2016 was a difficult day; the soldiers took me to an Israeli ambulance after being injured. Due to bleeding, I lost consciousness. I stayed for 18 days in the Intensive Care Unit. After I left the ICU, they took me to the Ramle prison hospital, where I was detained for four months before I was released.”
Medical error
Zidat is from the town of Bani Naim to the east of Hebron and despite his courage and honesty; his tone revealed pain and sadness because of the closure of all doors in his face, after promises of traveling outside Palestine to complete his treatment went in vain.
Injury and arrest
“I was 14 years old when I came under fire by the Israeli army in Al-Baqa'a neighborhood, east of Hebron. I was coming from the town of Bani Naim, 4 km away,” Zidat recounts. “Then the soldiers surrounded me from everywhere and fired bullets at me hitting my body with three bullets. Two bullets penetrated my right thigh while the third penetrated my chest.”
He told the PIC reporter, “The 23rd of September in 2016 was a difficult day; the soldiers took me to an Israeli ambulance after being injured. Due to bleeding, I lost consciousness. I stayed for 18 days in the Intensive Care Unit. After I left the ICU, they took me to the Ramle prison hospital, where I was detained for four months before I was released.”
Medical error
He added, “Following questioning, I realized that my knee and chest were damaged. This requires me to undergo a number of surgeries to fix my bonee, skin and muscles. After my thigh operation, I found out that the doctors had implanted platinum inside my thigh in a wrong way, connecting it with a metal device outside the leg,” he said. “This led to complications, which required undergoing another surgery to place a circular metal device instead of the rectangle.”
Release and trial
The occupation authorities released Osama on a 25,000 New Israeli Shekel bail, until the completion of procedures at the court. Later he attended 12 court sessions, and was released after paying the fine, placing him under a three-month house arrest.
Zidat appealed to all organizations to help him complete his treatment so that he could return to walk on his feet, pointing out that he spoke to the office of President Mahmoud Abbas, that promised him to travel to Turkey, to complete his treatment, and received similar promises from the International Truth Foundation and the Turkish Red Crescent, with a whole year passing without making any progress.
Promises and hope
Zidat stressed that his father works as a teacher and has a family to support, and that he can’t cover the expenses of his treatment. Osama needs an expensive surgery to remove calcification, which prevented him from bending his leg to walk normally.
He said he left the Bani Naim Secondary School, when he was still a 10th grade student, because he was unable to climb the third floor to attend his classes.
Osama did not lose hope that good people would help him travel to Turkey to undergo the surgery.
Release and trial
The occupation authorities released Osama on a 25,000 New Israeli Shekel bail, until the completion of procedures at the court. Later he attended 12 court sessions, and was released after paying the fine, placing him under a three-month house arrest.
Zidat appealed to all organizations to help him complete his treatment so that he could return to walk on his feet, pointing out that he spoke to the office of President Mahmoud Abbas, that promised him to travel to Turkey, to complete his treatment, and received similar promises from the International Truth Foundation and the Turkish Red Crescent, with a whole year passing without making any progress.
Promises and hope
Zidat stressed that his father works as a teacher and has a family to support, and that he can’t cover the expenses of his treatment. Osama needs an expensive surgery to remove calcification, which prevented him from bending his leg to walk normally.
He said he left the Bani Naim Secondary School, when he was still a 10th grade student, because he was unable to climb the third floor to attend his classes.
Osama did not lose hope that good people would help him travel to Turkey to undergo the surgery.
“The story of how I managed to survive an aggressive assault by a horde of Israeli extremist settlers is just a miracle,” said 16-year-old Osama Dughlas.
“I had been made to endure heavy beating,” said the child while traces of torture and violent blows still figure on his body. “I just can’t believe my eyes. My survival was an act of divine intervention.”
Dughlas was assaulted by Israeli settlers near the evacuated Homesh settlement outpost while he was playing in the vicinity of his family home with his cousin.
“I remember that I suffered blows all over my body, before I was thrown in a remote and abandoned area,” he said.
The child’s father, Jameel Dughlas, said Osama sustained bruises and injuries as a result of the assault.
“My son survived a true moment of death thanks to Allah’s will,” the father stated. “The Israelis were going to kill him. They just had it in mind beforehand.”
“The attack was carried out in the presence of Israeli soldiers,” he added. “My family has gone through sleepless nights because of such moments of terror.”
He attributed such arbitrary assaults against Palestinian children and civilians to Israeli intents to force the inhabitants out of their homes in favor of Israeli settlement.
Several Palestinians were killed and dozens more injured in deadly attacks by Israeli settlers residing in illegal outposts throughout the occupied Palestinian terrorists.
Last year, an 11-month Palestinian toddler, his father, and mother, were burned to death in an arson attack carried out by Israeli fanatics in Duma, south of Nablus, sparking furor across the occupied territories.
Also read..teen burned alive by settlers.
“I had been made to endure heavy beating,” said the child while traces of torture and violent blows still figure on his body. “I just can’t believe my eyes. My survival was an act of divine intervention.”
Dughlas was assaulted by Israeli settlers near the evacuated Homesh settlement outpost while he was playing in the vicinity of his family home with his cousin.
“I remember that I suffered blows all over my body, before I was thrown in a remote and abandoned area,” he said.
The child’s father, Jameel Dughlas, said Osama sustained bruises and injuries as a result of the assault.
“My son survived a true moment of death thanks to Allah’s will,” the father stated. “The Israelis were going to kill him. They just had it in mind beforehand.”
“The attack was carried out in the presence of Israeli soldiers,” he added. “My family has gone through sleepless nights because of such moments of terror.”
He attributed such arbitrary assaults against Palestinian children and civilians to Israeli intents to force the inhabitants out of their homes in favor of Israeli settlement.
Several Palestinians were killed and dozens more injured in deadly attacks by Israeli settlers residing in illegal outposts throughout the occupied Palestinian terrorists.
Last year, an 11-month Palestinian toddler, his father, and mother, were burned to death in an arson attack carried out by Israeli fanatics in Duma, south of Nablus, sparking furor across the occupied territories.
Also read..teen burned alive by settlers.
6 sept 2017
The Palestine Prisoners Center for Studies (PPCS) kept record of the detention of 15 Palestinian women and girls by the Israeli occupation forces (IOF), among them four minors, in August.
A statement by PPCS said 15 to 20 Palestinian women and girls are kidnapped by the Israeli forces every single month mostly on charges of carrying out or being involved in anti-occupation stabbing attacks or incitement on social media.
The list of female arrestees in August included four minors below the age of 17: Amira Taqatqa, 16; Hiba al-Faroukh, 15, Shahd Abu Kweik, 15; and Siujoud Assi, 14.
PPCS also kept record of the surge in the abduction of Palestinian women in Occupied Jerusalem, particularly near holy al-Aqsa Mosque.
A statement by PPCS said 15 to 20 Palestinian women and girls are kidnapped by the Israeli forces every single month mostly on charges of carrying out or being involved in anti-occupation stabbing attacks or incitement on social media.
The list of female arrestees in August included four minors below the age of 17: Amira Taqatqa, 16; Hiba al-Faroukh, 15, Shahd Abu Kweik, 15; and Siujoud Assi, 14.
PPCS also kept record of the surge in the abduction of Palestinian women in Occupied Jerusalem, particularly near holy al-Aqsa Mosque.
3 sept 2017
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Sunday arrested a Palestinian child from Misilyah village to the south of Jenin, while clashes broke out in the neighboring town of Zababdeh.
Local sources reported that the detained child is the 14-year-old Wael Abu Eneim, according to Wafa.
Clashes were witnessed in Zababdeh town between Palestinian youths and IOF soldiers who fired tear gas canisters, sound bombs and rubber-coated metal bullets with no injuries reported.
In another context, IOF soldiers on Sunday dawn stormed Kobar town in Ramallah, the hometown of the Palestinian detainee Omar al-Abed who carried out Halamish attack in which three settlers were killed.
Local sources told PIC reporter that dozens of soldiers raided and searched citizens' houses amid heavy firing of live bullets, tear gas canisters and sound bombs to intimidate women and children.
Local sources reported that the detained child is the 14-year-old Wael Abu Eneim, according to Wafa.
Clashes were witnessed in Zababdeh town between Palestinian youths and IOF soldiers who fired tear gas canisters, sound bombs and rubber-coated metal bullets with no injuries reported.
In another context, IOF soldiers on Sunday dawn stormed Kobar town in Ramallah, the hometown of the Palestinian detainee Omar al-Abed who carried out Halamish attack in which three settlers were killed.
Local sources told PIC reporter that dozens of soldiers raided and searched citizens' houses amid heavy firing of live bullets, tear gas canisters and sound bombs to intimidate women and children.
2 sept 2017
Israeli forces, on Thursday, seized toys during a raid into Bani Naim, a town to the east of Hebron, in the southern West Bank, said local sources.
Israeli forces raided the town, ransacked toy shops and took bead guns, paintball guns, fireworks, and laser pointers, citing lack of permits as a pretext.
The commander of the military forces, according to WAFA, plastered a statement at the shops’ doors banning the possession of such toys, which he said could be used by “terrorists who threaten the security in this area”.
Israeli forces raided the town, ransacked toy shops and took bead guns, paintball guns, fireworks, and laser pointers, citing lack of permits as a pretext.
The commander of the military forces, according to WAFA, plastered a statement at the shops’ doors banning the possession of such toys, which he said could be used by “terrorists who threaten the security in this area”.
29 aug 2017
Israeli soldiers abducted, on Tuesday at dawn, fourteen Palestinians, including children, from their homes in different parts of the occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society (PPS) has reported that the soldiers invaded and ransacked several homes in occupied East Jerusalem, and abducted six Palestinians, identified as Mohammad Totanji, Ahmad Mteir, Faisal Shabana, Odai al-Hadra, and Adnan al-Hadra, in addition to Anas Shatara, 18, who was taken prisoner from his home on al-‘Ezariyya town, southeast of Jerusalem.
In Bethlehem, the soldiers invaded several homes and abducted Mohammad Rezeq Najajra, 16, Mahmoud Taleb Najajra, 16, and Khalaf Shadi Najajra, 14.
In Jenin, in northern West Bank, the soldiers abducted Mohammad al-Atrash, and his brother Yousef, from Kafr Ra’ey town, in addition to Ahmad Qottein Mousa, from Arraba town.
Furthermore, the soldiers invaded Jayyous town, northeast of the northern West Bank city of Qalqilia, and abducted Mohammad al-Qaddoumi, 22, while resident Mousa Sami Sa’ada, was abducted in Nablus, also in northern West Bank.
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society (PPS) has reported that the soldiers invaded and ransacked several homes in occupied East Jerusalem, and abducted six Palestinians, identified as Mohammad Totanji, Ahmad Mteir, Faisal Shabana, Odai al-Hadra, and Adnan al-Hadra, in addition to Anas Shatara, 18, who was taken prisoner from his home on al-‘Ezariyya town, southeast of Jerusalem.
In Bethlehem, the soldiers invaded several homes and abducted Mohammad Rezeq Najajra, 16, Mahmoud Taleb Najajra, 16, and Khalaf Shadi Najajra, 14.
In Jenin, in northern West Bank, the soldiers abducted Mohammad al-Atrash, and his brother Yousef, from Kafr Ra’ey town, in addition to Ahmad Qottein Mousa, from Arraba town.
Furthermore, the soldiers invaded Jayyous town, northeast of the northern West Bank city of Qalqilia, and abducted Mohammad al-Qaddoumi, 22, while resident Mousa Sami Sa’ada, was abducted in Nablus, also in northern West Bank.
26 aug 2017
The Israeli occupation authorities have arrested 800 Palestinian children since the start of this year, most of them from occupied Jerusalem, the Palestinian Detainees and Ex-detainees Committee revealed on Saturday.
According to Issa Qaraqe, head of the Committee, some 25 of the detained minors were shot by Israeli gunfire during their arrest.
In a statement on Saturday, Qaraqe said that dozens of the children have been arrested several times. Some of them, he explained, are unable to go to school because they have permanent disabilities resulting from the ill-treatment to which they were subjected during arrest and investigation, including torture.
Qaraqe said that the Committee receives testimonials from young ex-detainees that prove being beaten, tortured, verbally abused, handcuffed and subjected to other kinds of maltreatment at the hands of Israeli soldiers.
He also underlined that such treatment of children, is a “flagrant violation” of international humanitarian law. He called on the Palestinian Authority to prosecute Israeli leaders for the violations and offenses practiced against Palestinian children.
According to Issa Qaraqe, head of the Committee, some 25 of the detained minors were shot by Israeli gunfire during their arrest.
In a statement on Saturday, Qaraqe said that dozens of the children have been arrested several times. Some of them, he explained, are unable to go to school because they have permanent disabilities resulting from the ill-treatment to which they were subjected during arrest and investigation, including torture.
Qaraqe said that the Committee receives testimonials from young ex-detainees that prove being beaten, tortured, verbally abused, handcuffed and subjected to other kinds of maltreatment at the hands of Israeli soldiers.
He also underlined that such treatment of children, is a “flagrant violation” of international humanitarian law. He called on the Palestinian Authority to prosecute Israeli leaders for the violations and offenses practiced against Palestinian children.
25 aug 2017
Israeli forces destroyed three Palestinian schools for children in the occupied West Bank, just days before start of school year, Relief Web said on Wednesday.
The facilities demolished include the only kindergarten for the Jabal Al Baba Bedouin community, which was destroyed in the early hours of 21 August, and a primary school in Jubbet Al Dhib that was demolished on the night of 22 August, according to Days of Palestine.
In a statement, the Relief Web said that Israeli authorities also dismantled and confiscated solar panels—the only source of power—at primary school in Abu Nuwar. The school was also attacked twice last year when parts of it were demolished and equipment confiscated.
Third grade students, there, now take their classes in the local barbershop, as the community has been prevented from building basic education facilities.
NRC Policy Manager Itay Epshtain, who visited Jubbet Al Dhib this morning, said: “It was heart breaking to see children and their teachers turning up for their first day of school under the blazing sun, with no classrooms or anywhere to seek shelter in, while in the immediate vicinity the work to expand illegal settlements goes on uninterrupted.”
The latest spate of school demolitions and confiscations, in the West Bank, forms part of a wider attack on education in Palestine.
Right now, some 55 schools in the West Bank are threatened with demolition and “stop-work” orders by Israeli authorities.
Many of these schools are donor-funded, including by EU member states. Israel denies the majority of Palestinian planning permit requests in Area C, thereby leaving Palestinians with no option but to reconstruct and develop without permits, while Israeli settlements -established in violation of international law – continue to expand.
Demolished schools
In the first three months of this year, there were 24 cases of direct attacks against schools, including incidents where tear gas canisters and sound bombs were fired at students on their way to or from school.
Last year, four communities’ educational facilities were demolished or confiscated and 256 education-related violations were documented in the West Bank, affecting over 29,000 students.
“Just when they were due to return to the classroom, Palestinian children are discovering that their schools are being destroyed,” said the Norwegian Refugee Council’s Country Director for Palestine, Hanibal Abiy Worku.
“What threat do these schools pose to the Israeli authorities? What are they planning to achieve by denying thousands of children their fundamental right to education?”
Threats Palestinian children face on a daily basis include violence and harassment from settlers and Israeli soldiers, military activity inside or next to schools, delays crossing checkpoints, and the abduction of children from their classrooms.
Israeli obstacles
Since 2011, the Israeli government has also threatened to withhold permits and funding to schools that are not implementing Israeli curriculum in which references to Palestinian identity and culture, the occupation, Israeli settlements and other aspects of Palestinian history were removed.
“We call on the governments and donors funding Palestinian children’s education to exercise all of their influence to prevent this violation in all its forms,” Abiy Worku said.
“The destruction of educational structures funded by European money is not just a violation of international law. It is also a slap in the face to the international community providing aid to the occupied Palestinian population in a bid to ensure safe places of learning for children.”
The facilities demolished include the only kindergarten for the Jabal Al Baba Bedouin community, which was destroyed in the early hours of 21 August, and a primary school in Jubbet Al Dhib that was demolished on the night of 22 August, according to Days of Palestine.
In a statement, the Relief Web said that Israeli authorities also dismantled and confiscated solar panels—the only source of power—at primary school in Abu Nuwar. The school was also attacked twice last year when parts of it were demolished and equipment confiscated.
Third grade students, there, now take their classes in the local barbershop, as the community has been prevented from building basic education facilities.
NRC Policy Manager Itay Epshtain, who visited Jubbet Al Dhib this morning, said: “It was heart breaking to see children and their teachers turning up for their first day of school under the blazing sun, with no classrooms or anywhere to seek shelter in, while in the immediate vicinity the work to expand illegal settlements goes on uninterrupted.”
The latest spate of school demolitions and confiscations, in the West Bank, forms part of a wider attack on education in Palestine.
Right now, some 55 schools in the West Bank are threatened with demolition and “stop-work” orders by Israeli authorities.
Many of these schools are donor-funded, including by EU member states. Israel denies the majority of Palestinian planning permit requests in Area C, thereby leaving Palestinians with no option but to reconstruct and develop without permits, while Israeli settlements -established in violation of international law – continue to expand.
Demolished schools
In the first three months of this year, there were 24 cases of direct attacks against schools, including incidents where tear gas canisters and sound bombs were fired at students on their way to or from school.
Last year, four communities’ educational facilities were demolished or confiscated and 256 education-related violations were documented in the West Bank, affecting over 29,000 students.
“Just when they were due to return to the classroom, Palestinian children are discovering that their schools are being destroyed,” said the Norwegian Refugee Council’s Country Director for Palestine, Hanibal Abiy Worku.
“What threat do these schools pose to the Israeli authorities? What are they planning to achieve by denying thousands of children their fundamental right to education?”
Threats Palestinian children face on a daily basis include violence and harassment from settlers and Israeli soldiers, military activity inside or next to schools, delays crossing checkpoints, and the abduction of children from their classrooms.
Israeli obstacles
Since 2011, the Israeli government has also threatened to withhold permits and funding to schools that are not implementing Israeli curriculum in which references to Palestinian identity and culture, the occupation, Israeli settlements and other aspects of Palestinian history were removed.
“We call on the governments and donors funding Palestinian children’s education to exercise all of their influence to prevent this violation in all its forms,” Abiy Worku said.
“The destruction of educational structures funded by European money is not just a violation of international law. It is also a slap in the face to the international community providing aid to the occupied Palestinian population in a bid to ensure safe places of learning for children.”
