WCC NEWS: School principal expresses grave concern for children in Bedouin community

A school principal near Jerusalem is expressing grave concerns for her students and staff as harassment by settlers increases, and fear keeps young people from learning. File photo, girls pictured going to school in the morning. Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC 29 November 2024 The school is located in a Bedouin community in East Jerusalem, and the entire community in is under threat of being demolished. The World Council of Churches Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel works in this area, reporting human rights violations and incidents of violence. “It is a daily occurrence that the students are subject to harassment, more so during the morning hours—and this means that the students arrive late to school,” said the principal. “The settlers use dogs to intimidate the students and to impede access to school—this in addition to spitting and cursing.” The students have seen even more harassment since the beginning of the current school year because a new settlement was built in the area.  The principal worries constantly about the154 students in the school, ages 5-14. “There is no transportation to the school, which means that the students arrive on foot across the mountains,” she explained. “The distance is twice as long because we are trying to evade settlers and the violence they provoke.” Now students have to walk 2.5 kilometers, instead of one kilometer, to arrive to school.  “The students are afraid of the dogs unleashed against them by settlers,” she said. “I see lots of students who are unable to focus and do not want to come to school.” The school has 20 teachers, and they are subject to harassment on daily basis as well. They are prevented access to the school through road closures. They are also humiliated, spat upon, and blocked from crossing the street to reach the school. “The atmosphere is very bad—very difficult,” said the principal. “My students are living in perpetual fear, which hinders their ability to focus during class.” In fact, some students have stopped coming to school altogether.  "I try to energize the students and teachers by offering them moral and psychological support,” said the principal. “I try to focus on offering education and building a better future, with the aim of overcoming the current obstacles and continuing with the educational process.” She is full of worry about the future generation. “We have little resources at the school and lack the basic necessities,” she said. “We offer only basic services because we have water shortages, no electricity, and no external help.” The school needs electricity and medical supplies so it can continue to benefit the boys and girls. “Also, the school needs rehabilitation and development for the students to learn in an environment that is healthy, safe, and filled with positive energy,” said the principal. There are five schools in the Jerusalem Bedouin communities, and they all have demolition orders while construction and development are prohibited. The schools consist of brick rooms, barracks, and caravans cemented in the ground. The schools accommodate approximately 550 students who are afraid to travel because of settler attacks, and because the main roads are closed arbitrarily with earth mounds by the Israeli military. See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 352 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland