On Sunday, Israeli soldiers demolished a school in Beit Ta’mir village, southeast of Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank.
Media sources said several army vehicles, including bulldozers, invaded the village after surrounding and isolating Tahadi 5 School in the Jeb Ath-Theeb area at dawn.
They added that the soldiers demolished the school and confiscated all its belongings, including desks and chairs, before withdrawing.
The invasion led to protests before the soldiers fired rubber-coated steel bullets and gas bombs at the Palestinians.
The school provided education to 60 students from the local communities of Jeb Ath-Theeb, Zawahra, Al-Wahsh, and Mheimeed and was built on land private-owned by Palestinians from the Zawahra family, who have all deeds and legal documents.
Immediately after the army destroyed the school, the Palestinians started rebuilding it to ensure the children receive the education they need, the WAFA Palestinian News Agency said.
The army first destroyed the school in 2017, and since then, the Palestinians have been rebuilding it whenever the army demolishes it.
The European Union denounced the school’s demolition, which was donor-funded, and urged the Israeli authorities to “stop all demolitions and evictions, which it said, “will only increase the suffering of the Palestinian population and further escalate an already tense environment.”
Commenting on the demolition, the Palestinian Directorate of Education issued a statement denouncing the demolition and said the destruction is “part of the constant Israeli violations against the educational sector in the West Bank, and the constant targeting of students, teachers, and staffers, in direct violation of all international treaties.”
It called on the International Community to oblige Israel to end its violations, abide by international humanitarian and political treaties, and expose the seriously escalating Israeli crimes.
In late February of 2023, an Israeli court denied an appeal filed by the Wall & Colonization Resistance Commission and The Society of St. Yves – Catholic Center for Human Rights against demolishing the Tahadi School.
The school was demolished eleven times since its establishment in 2016.
