The Israeli occupation authorities are reportedly set to revoke permits for Palestinian schools in occupied Jerusalem run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).
The move would come as the latest strike against the UN Relief and Works Agency which has seen its budget slashed by the US and its activities in occupied Jerusalem increasingly curtailed by Israel.
Israel’s National Security Council decided to revoke permits allowing UNRWA schools in the occupied city to operate starting next school year Israel’s Hadashot TV news reported Saturday.
According to the report the UNRWA schools will be replaced by schools run by Israel’s Jerusalem municipality and under the aegis of the Israeli Education Ministry.
The network said the decision was reached during a National Security Council meeting last month to discuss expelling UNRWA from occupied Jerusalem following US President Donald Trump’s decision to end American funding for the agency.
Israel claims occupied East Jerusalem as part of its undivided capital in a move largely unrecognized internationally and has sought in recent months to push the UN Palestinian refugee agency out of the city.
Prior to the end of his tenure last month Jerusalem mayor Nir Bakat detailed a proposal to expel UNRWA from occupied Jerusalem and have the Israeli municipality control education health welfare and sanitation services in its place.
Barakat also gave details of a plan prepared by a team of city officials and experts to replace all of UNRWA’s functions with municipal services in the Shuafat refugee camp founded in 1965 and home to some 20000 Palestinian refugees.
The plan comes after the Trump administration announced it was cutting nearly $300 million in planned funding for UNRWA and said that it would no longer back the agency after decades of support. Washington has also cut other aid to the Palestinians in a bid to pressure the Palestinian Authority into negotiations with the Israeli occupation.
Barkat proposed to expropriate or lease the existing UNRWA schools to use as municipal buildings and in addition will construct an educational and municipal services complex.
In case such proposed Israeli measures will be put into effect some 1200 Palestinian students enrolled at three UNRWA schools in Shu’fat refugee camp and 150 children enrolled at a UNRWA school in Wadi al-Jouz along with some 500 children and teens registered at schools run by the agency in Silwan and Sur Baher will be prevented from accessing UNRWA schools to pursue their studies.
