Israel Shuts Down Schools Run By Palestinian Refugee Agency

Palestinian students successful eastbound Jerusalem look an uncertain early aft Israel ordered nan closure of six schools tally by nan United Nations Relief and Works Agency. Israeli constabulary and acquisition ministry officials gave nan agency, known arsenic UNRWA, 30 days to unopen down its operations successful nan area successful April.

Palestinian students removed from class, schools closed

As that deadline expired connected Thursday, May 8, UNRWA said heavy equipped guards arrived to enforce nan closures and displaced much than 550 students, immoderate arsenic young arsenic 6 years old, from their classrooms.

“Storming schools and forcing them unopen is simply a blatant disregard of world law,” UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said. “These schools are inviolable premises of nan United Nations.”

Unbiased. Straight Facts.TM

UNRWA operates much than 700 schools crossed nan Middle East, serving much than 500,000 Palestinian students.

What does UNRWA do?

UNRWA runs acquisition and humanitarian assistance programs successful nan West Bank, nan Gaza Strip, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and eastbound Jerusalem. The agency said these areas still trust heavy connected support for Palestinian refugees, arsenic they person since 1949.

The agency was established aft nan first Arab-Israeli war successful 1948 to assistance hundreds of thousands of Palestinians displaced by nan conflict.

What schools closed and where?

The six schools astatine nan halfway of nan conflict are located successful eastbound Jerusalem, a territory Israel took power of pursuing nan 1967 Mideast war. Israel later annexed eastbound Jerusalem to beryllium included wrong its territory.

The world organization has not recognized that annexation. United Nations Resolution 476, adopted successful 1980, said nan annexation of eastbound Jerusalem is “null and void” nether world law.

Tensions escalated further aft nan warfare successful Gaza collapsed retired successful October 2023, triggered by a Hamas-led onslaught connected Israel. Since then, nan Israeli authorities has banned UNRWA from operating wrong its territory.

Israeli officials accused UNRWA of spreading antisemitic contented successful its schools, though nan agency denied nan claim. UNRWA has besides faced allegations of ties to violent groups successful Gaza, though it maintains it operates independently and successful statement pinch humanitarian principles.

Israel’s Ministry of Education said students displaced by nan closures will beryllium placed successful schools operating wrong nan charismatic acquisition strategy successful Jerusalem. The ministry antecedently told The Associated Press that UNRWA’s schools were considered forbidden because they did not person due licenses.