Palestinian students learn in tents after school demolished by Israel

By Awad al-Rujoub

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – Dozens of Palestinian students gathered in tents on Monday to receive lessons after their school was demolished by the Israeli army in the occupied West Bank.

On Sunday, the Israeli army tore down a European Union-funded primary school in the town of Jibb Al-Deeb, east of Bethlehem city, citing lack of a construction permit.

The school was located in Area C of the West Bank, which is under Israeli army control and was first demolished by Israel in 2017.

“More than 60 students resumed their lessons today in two big tents,” Hassan Brijieh, head of the so-called Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission in Bethlehem, told Anadolu.

He said the tents were erected by activists to allow students to receive their lessons after the school was demolished by Israeli forces.

The EU said it was “appalled” by Israel’s demolition of the Palestinian school.

“Demolitions are illegal under international law, and children's right to education must be respected,” the office of the EU representative to the Palestinian Territories said in a statement.

The EU called on Israel to “halt all demolitions and evictions, which will only increase the suffering of the Palestinian population and further escalate an already tense environment.”

Israel widely uses the pretext of lack of construction permits to demolish Palestinian homes, especially in Area C.

Under the 1995 Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, was divided into three portions – Area A, B and C.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar