Months after an Israeli prohibition on its operations went into force, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said Thursday that Israel has closed three of its schools in occupied east Jerusalem. At least one of the schools had a closing notice posted in Hebrew at the door, according to an AFP photographer on the site, while UNRWA claimed that at least one of its employees was being held.
“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 decree of closure stated.
At 9:00 am on Thursday, three UNRWA schools in the Shuafat camp in east Jerusalem were encircled by “heavily armed” personnel, Roland Friedrich, head of UNRWA in the West Bank, said AFP. Five hundred fifty students between the ages of six and fifteen were present when the shutdown was implemented, Friedrich continued, describing the incident as “a traumatising experience for young children who are at immediate risk of losing their access to education.”
In other areas of east Jerusalem, which Israel has occupied since 1967, Friedrich claimed police were stationed at three different schools. Israeli authorities placed a closure notice claiming that the schools were functioning unlawfully without “authorization” after removing children from two of them, many of whom departed in tears, according to an AFP photographer.
Before leaving the school, a number of young students, some clearly touched and others bewildered, gave each other hugs in front of the building. The Palestinian Authority called the action a “violation of children’s right to education” and denounced it in a statement to AFP. Its education ministry branded the closures a “crime” and called on foreign organizations “to assume their responsibilities and defend the right of refugee children to a free and safe education” in a statement.
For almost 70 years, UNRWA has supported Palestinian refugees throughout the Middle East, but it has long been at odds with Israeli authorities, who have accused it of compromising national security.
Israeli law, which prohibits the agency from conducting its operations on Israeli territory, went into effect at the end of January, cutting off relations with the organization. It is also prohibited from communicating with Israeli officials.
Israel claims that some of UNRWA’s staff participated in Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which precipitated the war in Gaza, and has accused the organization of providing cover for Hamas fighters.
Some “neutrality-related issues” within UNRWA were discovered by a number of studies, including one headed by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna. However, it was emphasized that Israel had not shown proof to support its headline claim. Israeli police were storming six UNRWA-run schools in east Jerusalem, according to a complaint by the Palestinian human rights organization Adalah.
The organisation claimed that the new law targeting UNRWA breached “fundamental human rights and Israel’s obligations under international law” in a petition it filed with the Israeli Supreme Court in mid-January. Its plea to postpone the Act was denied by the Supreme Court. Adalah petitioned the Supreme Court in April to stop the closure orders on UNRWA-run schools.
The court denied the NGO’s claim when the state retorted that the Jerusalem municipality provided alternative education. “Wholly inadequate” is how Adalah described the suggested substitutes. Although the UN views Israel’s annexation of the eastern part of Jerusalem as unlawful, Israel maintains that the entire city is its capital. East Jerusalem is the capital of a future independent state, according to the Palestinians.
