Israeli authorities seize UNRWA school in East Jerusalem

Israeli authorities have seized a UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) school in the Shufat refugee camp, leaving Palestinian children in East Jerusalem facing uncertainty as their academic year begins.

RT’s Charlotte Dubenskij reports from the ground, where families say they fear losing access to affordable schooling or being forced to send their children into an Israeli-run system.

Fourteen-year-old Noor and her 11-year-old sister Fatima are among those still without a school just days before the new academic year, Dubenskij reported from Shufat. The sisters fear the disruption could derail their ambitions of becoming a doctor and a dentist.

Their father told Dubenskij that the family cannot afford municipal schools, which could cost thousands of shekels, while UNRWA, which provides education, healthcare, and other services to Palestinian refugees, charged only a symbolic annual fee. Parents are also concerned about their children being transferred to Israeli-run schools and taught a different curriculum.

A local community leader interviewed by Dubenskij said parents fear the Israeli curriculum would exclude subjects previously taught at UNRWA schools, including Islamic education and Arab history. Asked by the RT correspondent whether he feared the children would be “brainwashed,” he replied: “Of course, absolutely, without a doubt.”

UNRWA says personnel linked to the Jerusalem Municipality entered its Shufat facilities without authorization and began work inside, in violation of the agency’s UN protections. The municipality says the sites are privately owned and will be reopened for local residents, although Dubenskij reported that the school remains closed with no reopening date set.

The developments follow Israel’s takeover of UNRWA’s Qalandiya Training Center in East Jerusalem late last month, disrupting vocational education for hundreds of students. During the raid, Israeli forces shot and wounded a Palestinian teenager. UNRWA said more than 50 Israeli security personnel entered the facility while around 20 staff were inside and forced them from the premises.