Jerusalem: Christian schools suspend classes after over 70 Palestinian teachers and staff refused entry permits

Photo by Nathan Cima on Unsplash

All Christian schools in Jerusalem suspended classes today, Tuesday 1 September, at the start of the autumn term, in protest over Israel's refusal to renew entry permits for more than 70 teachers and staff from the West Bank. This is affecting more than 8,500 students.

The following statement has been issued by the General Secretariat for Christian Educational Institutions in Jerusalem (English Translation):

Suspension of School Attendance Due to the Non-Renewal of Permits for Teachers and Staff

For hundreds of years, the Christian schools in Jerusalem have carried out a deeply rooted educational and humanitarian mission and have constituted an integral part of the city's identity and its cultural and social fabric. Throughout their history, our schools have been committed to providing high-quality and distinguished education and to raising generations founded on knowledge, values, belonging, and responsibility.

As our schools prepare for the opening of the new 2026-2027 academic year, we were unfortunately surprised, once again, by the non-renewal of entry permits for more than 70 teachers and employees from our educational, administrative, and support staff. This occurred suddenly and without prior notice, preventing them from reaching their schools and directly affecting the schools' readiness for the opening of the academic year.

The absence of this large number of staff members affects various aspects of school operations, including educational, administrative, and health services, in addition to cleaning services and security and safety procedures. This makes it impossible to guarantee a safe and stable start for our students.

Accordingly, following consultation and coordination with the relevant authorities, representatives of parents, and Jerusalem schools, it has been decided to suspend school attendance in the schools of the city of Jerusalem beginning Tuesday morning, 1 September 2026, until the necessary permits for teachers and staff are reissued and renewed, thereby ensuring that the educational process can proceed safely and properly.

While we reaffirm our full commitment to our students' right to education, we also emphasise the importance of the educational mission carried by our schools, which constitutes an essential part of our identity, culture, and presence in the city of Jerusalem, raising generations founded on knowledge, values, belonging, and responsibility. It is a mission that carries a message and nurtures a culture of just peace. The recurrence of such measures undermines the stability of our schools, hinders their ability to fulfil their mission, and negatively affects students, their families, educational staff, and society as a whole.

We pray and hope that this crisis will be resolved as quickly as possible, that such measures will cease and not recur in the future, thereby preserving the stability of our educational institutions, guaranteeing students' right to regular and safe education, and enabling our schools to continue their educational and humanitarian mission.

We hope for everyone's understanding of this decision and look forward to a swift resolution of the crisis, the return of our students and staff to their schools, and the regular commencement of the academic year.

Signed: Christian Schools in Jerusalem

This news come at the same as Israeli authorities have told East Jerusalem's Palestinian-majority municipal schools to exclusively use the Israeli curriculum this year in their new first and seventh-grade classes.

Jerusalem Governorate spokesman Marouf al-Rifai described the forced integration of Israeli curriculum into Palestinian schools as a "cultural and educational crime".

"The adherence of Jerusalem's people, teachers, and students to the Palestinian curriculum is not merely an adherence to a textbook, but rather a defense of memory, identity, history, and the right to determine the national narrative," he said in a statement on Facebook.

Israeli forces also recently seized educational compounds formerly operated by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, in the Shu'fat refugee camp and Kafr Aqab, to be replaced with Israeli-administered facilities.