Israel demolishes EU-funded school in West Bank, sparks criticism: Peoples Dispatch

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The European Union (EU) has condemned Israel’s demolition of a Palestinian primary school in the occupied West Bank on Sunday 7 May. EU funds had been used for the construction of the Jubbet Adh Dhib school in the village of Bayt Tamar, east of the city. of Bethlehem, which was demolished on Sunday despite a pending appeal in court.

The EU called on Israel to “stop all demolitions and evictions, which will only increase the suffering of the Palestinian population and further aggravate an already tense environment”. The office of the EU representative in the Palestinian territories said: “The demolitions are illegal under international law and children’s right to education must be respected. The demolition of the school disrupted the education of approximately 60 students, from grades one to four.

Israeli authorities carried out the demolition claiming that the school had been built illegally. COGAT, the Israeli military authority in charge of civil affairs in the occupied territories, said a two-month deadline had been granted by a court in Jerusalem to evacuate the school premises. COGAT also claimed that the school posed a safety hazard to students, teachers and other occupants and should therefore be demolished.

However, local officials from the Palestinian Ministry of Education accused Israel of attempting to confiscate the land “to ethnically cleanse the area of ​​Palestinians. Some officials noted that the appeal had already been filed in court against the Jerusalem court’s demolition order and that the Israeli authorities had agreed not to proceed with the demolition pending the appeal.

According to reports, earlier schools built on the same land were also demolished during the years 2017 and 2019. A further 58 Palestinian schools, many whose construction was funded by the EU, are also currently under threat of demolition.

Meanwhile, local Palestinian residents, along with activists and members of the Settlement and Wall Resistance Commission, reportedly began to rebuild the school. Photos on the Internet showed people pulling building materials out of trucks and others engaged in rebuilding the school.

Some Palestinians had tried to prevent the demolition of the schools by throwing stones at Israeli soldiers and bulldozers arriving in the area. Israeli forces retaliated by throwing tear gas canisters in an attempt to disperse the resisters.

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