Private and Christian schools in occupied East Jerusalem have begun an open-ended teachers’ strike following Israel’s decision to impose its curriculum on some Palestinian schools and block entry permits for teachers from the occupied West Bank.
The strike began on Tuesday, September 1, as the new academic year opened. School authorities said the sudden non-renewal of permits for more than 70 teachers and other staff members had disrupted preparations for the new school year.
Meanwhile, newly enrolled students in first and seventh grades at Palestinian-majority municipal schools in East Jerusalem have reportedly been instructed to follow the Israeli curriculum exclusively.
The changes mean that more than 45,000 Palestinian students—about one in three Palestinian students in occupied East Jerusalem—will now be studying under the Israeli education programme, according to reports.
Palestinian officials have condemned the move, describing the expansion of the Israeli curriculum as an attack on Palestinian cultural identity, history and educational independence.
Marouf al-Rifai, spokesman for the Jerusalem Governorate, said Palestinians’ continued use of their own curriculum represented a defence of their identity and right to determine their historical and national narrative.
School officials also warned that the restrictions on West Bank teachers could worsen an existing staffing crisis in East Jerusalem.
Sylvia Amer, deputy director for academic and administrative affairs at College des Freres Jerusalem, said the abrupt cancellation of teachers’ permits forced schools to suspend classes. She said authorities had previously assured schools in June that the necessary permits would be available.
The General Secretariat for Christian Educational Institutions in Jerusalem said the absence of dozens of teachers, administrators and support workers made it difficult to guarantee a safe and stable start to the academic year.
School officials further accused Israeli authorities of using legislation, funding and permit restrictions to pressure Palestinian and Christian educational institutions to adopt the Israeli Bagrut curriculum.
Mike Bassam Farraj, general director of Greek Orthodox Patriarchate Schools, described the measures as a systematic pressure campaign aimed at reducing the number of West Bank teachers working in East Jerusalem schools.
The dispute comes amid broader tensions over education in East Jerusalem, where Palestinian schools have sought to preserve their curriculum and educational identity while facing increasing Israeli control.
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