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Armed Israeli Security Forces forced to close three schools run by the UN for Palestinian Refugees (Anfa) in the Israeli annexed Eastern Jerusalem.
Hundreds of Palestinian students were sent home from school refugee camp immediately after the start of Thursday morning.
Anta Commissioner Filip Latsarini, General Commissioner, said the Israeli authorities have denied children their fundamental right to study and accused them of “arrogant ignoring international law”.
Israel’s ban on Anfa came into force earlier this year, and Israel accuses the agency of penetration into Hamas. Unrwa denies this statement and insists on its impartiality.
The videos showed that the girls in a homogeneous hug on one school in Shuafat after the arrival of Israeli forces outside.
The closing order recorded to the school wall was read: “It is forbidden to exploit educational institutions, or employ teachers, teaching workers or any other personnel, and will be banned from entering students or allowing students to enter this institution.”
Arvo said more than 550 students between the ages of six and 15 were present and that one of the staff was detained, in the fact that his director on the occupied western shore called “traumatization for young children who were directly at risk of losing access to education.”
The agency said Israeli police were also located in three other schools in Eastern Jerusalem, forcing them to send their students home.
“The storming of the schools and the coercion of them to close is a brazen ignorance of international law,” Philip Latsarini wrote on X. “These schools are inviolable premises of the United Nations.”
He added: “Using the closure orders issued last month, the Israeli authorities deny Palestinian children their fundamental right to study.
“Anta schools must continue to be open to protect the whole generation of children.”
The Palestinian authorities, which manages the parts of the Western shore, which is not under the control of Israel, stated that this step was “violation of children’s right to education”.
The British Consulate in Jerusalem stated that the UK, the EU, Norway, Switzerland, Turkey and Japan strongly opposed the closing orders issued against Anta schools and stood “in solidarity with students, parents and teachers.”
“Anta has been operating in Eastern Jerusalem under the mandate of the UN General Assembly since 1950. Israel has been obliged to promote the proper work of all institutions dedicated to the education of children,” they added.
Last year, the Israeli Parliament has adopted laws that prohibit contact between Israeli and Antwa, as well as forbidding the activities of agencies in the Israeli territory.
Israel seized Eastern Jerusalem together with the rest of the Western shores, in the 1967 war.
He effectively annexed Eastern Jerusalem in 1980, which is not recognized by the majority of the international community and sees the whole city as its capital.
Palestinians see Eastern Jerusalem as the capital of their hopes for the future.
Approximately 230,000 Israeli settlers are currently living in Eastern Jerusalem, as well as 390,000 Palestinians.
Most of the international community believe that the settlements built there and other places of the Western shore are illegal in accordance with international law – a position supported by the Advisory conclusion of the International Court (CU) last year – although Israel disputes it.
