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The  Mission of the State of Palestine observed the first annual International Day to Protect Education from Attack on 9th September this year. The day was established by a unanimous decision of the UN General Assembly,  to raise awareness of the plight of millions of children living in countries affected by conflict.

Since its occupation of Palestine, Israeli policies have had a detrimental effect on the wellbeing of thousands of Palestinian children over the years.  In proclaiming the International Day to Protect Education from Attack to be observed for the first time in 2020, the UN is sending a clear message regarding the importance of safeguarding schools as places of protection and safety for students and educators and the need to keep education at the top of the public agenda.

In Palestine:

• In its 2020 report, the UN documented 242 interference to education by Israeli forces and settlers militias, including 15 incidents of threat against schoolchildren and teachers, affecting 48000 Palestinian children;
• These incidents involved live ammunition, tear gas or stun grenades fired into or near schools by Israeli forces;
• Schools are regularly raided by Israeli occupation forces;
• 527 Palestinian schoolchildren were detained in 2019 with 160 remaining in Israeli custody;
• There have been several attempts made to substitute the Palestinian educational curriculum with the Israeli one in an attempt to negate Palestinian history, culture and identity;
• The Israeli occupation and its practices including restrictions of movement, arrests of children, attacks on schools are causing long-term mental health and psychological effects on Palestinian children;
• The de-funding of UNRWA which provides education for Palestinian refugee children and the attempts to delegitimise and outlaw UNRWA’s work has a knock-on effect on the provision of education throughout the Occupied territories, including in East Jerusalem

Between January 2018 and March 2019, the Palestinian Ministry of Education recorded the following violations:

• 47 students murdered by Israeli security forces and 2 teachers
• 3 school demolition orders issued, 12 suspensions of construction orders, 5 confiscation orders (including 2 acres of land from Burin Secondary School in Nablus) and a further 22 schools under threat of demolition
• 3191 students and 106 teachers were injured by live ammunition, rubber bullets, tear gas
• Obstruction of safe access to schools

The rights of children should be protected by Israel as the occupying power under the Fourth Geneva Convention  – instead, Israeli policies are responsible for the ongoing traumatisation of schoolchildren and attacks on their persons, homes and school environments.  The international community must fulfil its obligations and take steps to protect the civilian population of Palestine, including and especially children.  Measures should be taken to hold the perpetrators of these crimes to account, otherwise, the culture of impunity will grow.

“Children everywhere have a right to learn in a safe and secure environment, free from fear, anxiety and danger” – UNICEF

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