Israel forces close UN schools in annexed east Jerusalem, at least 1 UN staff member detained
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UNRWA’s director in the West Bank said “heavily armed” forces surrounded three of its schools in east Jerusalem on May 8.
PHOTO: AFP
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JERUSALEM – The UN agency for Palestinian refugees said on May 8 that Israel closed three of its schools in annexed east Jerusalem, months after an Israeli ban on its activities took effect.
An AFP photographer at the scene reported that a closure notice in Hebrew was left at the entrance of at least one of the schools, and the UN agency known as UNRWA said at least one of its staff members was detained.
“From May 8, 2025, it will be prohibited to operate educational institutions, or employ teachers, teaching staff or any other staff, and it will be forbidden to accommodate students or allow the entry of students into this institution,” the closure order read.
UNRWA’s director in the West Bank, Mr Roland Friedrich, told AFP that “heavily armed” forces surrounded three UNRWA schools in east Jerusalem’s Shuafat camp at 9am on May 8.
Mr Friedrich added that 550 pupils aged six to 15 were present when the closure was enforced, calling the event “a traumatising experience for young children who are at immediate risk of losing their access to education”.
He said that the police were being deployed at three separate schools in other parts of east Jerusalem.
The Palestinian Authority condemned the move in a statement to AFP, calling it “violation of children’s right to education”.
Israel claims all of Jerusalem as its “indivisible” capital, though the UN considers its annexation of the city’s eastern sector illegal.
The Palestinians see east Jerusalem as the capital of their future independent state. AFP
