OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)
The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has warned that the closure of UN-run schools in occupied Jerusalem risks depriving some 800 Palestinian students of their right to education.
“In less than 10 days, closure orders issued by Israeli officials against six UNRWA schools in East Jerusalem will come into effect,” Roland Friedrich, UNRWA Director of Operations in the West Bank, wrote in a press statement on X, on Wednesday.
“These orders violate Israel’s obligations under international law,” he said in a statement.
“UNRWA schools in Shu’fat have been part of the social fabric of the camp for decades, enabling children to enjoy high-quality education near their homes,” he added.
“Little girls are now afraid that their dreams of becoming doctors or scientists will evaporate if they lose their access to education,” he further elaborated.
The Israeli closure orders are seen as part of Tel Aviv’s wider campaign against UNRWA and its mandate of serving Palestinian refugees.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs asserted that the Israeli decision means depriving hundreds of students of their right to education, destroying their future, attempting to impose the Israeli curriculum on them, and damaging the educational process, in a flagrant violation of the immunity and privileges enjoyed by the United Nations and its headquarters and institutions.
