Israeli court to destroy donor-funded school in Ramallah

The Israeli occupation’s District Court in Jerusalem on Wednesday ordered the immediate destruction of a European-funded school in the Ein Samiya community in Ramallah.

The Ein Samiya school was opened in mid-January in coordination with the Palestinian Ministry of Education and with a European grant.

Lawyers for the Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center had presented a requisition on behalf of the land donor; a resident of Ramallah’s Kafr Malik town, against the court’s decision published on April 28 to demolish the school.

The court’s judge gave the supplicants two choices: either to carry out self-destruction on a specific date, or for the demolition to be occurred by the occupation’s bulldozers, in which case the suppliants will be forced to pay the excessive costs in addition to heavy fines and the court’s fees.

In February, spokespeople from the EU and like-minded countries visited the Ein Samiya community near Ramallah in light of the serious risk of destruction of the school, which gives access to education for children in Ein Samiya and neighboring herder residents.

Prior to the school’s building, children faced the possibility of walking to the next closest school in Ras al Tin, about 9 km away, which also encounters the imminent risk of destruction by Israeli authorities. This lengthy journey left students vulnerable to harassment, especially by settlers, since there is no public transportation servicing the district. This also heightened the risk of school dropout, particularly among girls, said the EU in a statement following the visit.

“Representatives from the EU and like-minded countries urge Israel to halt demolitions, evictions, and confiscations on occupied Palestinian land, including donor-funded projects. The continuation of these policies violates international law, undermines the viability of the two-state solution and the prospect for lasting peace in the region,” reported the statement.