Israeli occupation forces obstructed dozens of Palestinian teachers from reaching their schools in the Jordan Valley of the occupied West Bank on Monday, keeping the Hamra and Tayseer military roadblocks closed for hours and denying passage to education staff.
The closures disrupted the school day across multiple communities in the northern Jordan Valley, part of a broader pattern of obstruction targeting Palestinian civil life under occupation.
According to Azmi Balawna, Director of Education in Tubas and the Northern Jordan Valley, teachers were forced to wait for extended periods at both roadblocks, with no explanation or clearance provided.
The closures are part of ongoing Israeli military restrictions that routinely delay or prevent access to schools, especially in remote and vulnerable areas.
The education sector in the Jordan Valley faces repeated disruptions due to Israel’s militarized control over movement.
Teachers, students, and staff are frequently delayed, harassed, or denied entry through military roadblocks, which serve as tools of collective punishment and territorial fragmentation.
According to data from the Palestinian Authority’s Wall & Colonization Resistance Commission, the Israeli military has installed 898 roadblocks and iron gates across the occupied West Bank. Of these, 18 were added in 2025, and 146 have been erected since October 7, 2023, reflecting a sharp escalation in movement restrictions and spatial control.
These closures not only violate the right to education but also form part of a broader system of apartheid and annexation, where access to basic services is weaponized against Palestinian communities.
The obstruction of teachers in the Jordan Valley is emblematic of Israel’s policy of fragmentation, designed to isolate rural areas and undermine Palestinian resilience.
