Palestinian private educational institutions, including prominent Christian schools, in occupied East Jerusalem launched an indefinite strike on Tuesday to protest Israeli restrictions that have prevented scores of teachers and administrative staff from entering the city at the start of the new academic year.
School administrators announced that classroom instruction across affected institutions would remain suspended until Israeli authorities renew missing entry permits for all impacted West Bank personnel.
The decision follows an announcement by the General Secretariat for Christian Educational Institutions in Jerusalem, which confirmed that Israel had unexpectedly refused to renew entry permits for more than 70 teachers, administrators, and support staff residing in the occupied West Bank. School officials stated that the sudden absence of key staff made it impossible to ensure proper administrative, health, security, and educational operations for returning students.
Under current Israeli regulations, Palestinians holding West Bank residency are required to obtain special permits to cross military checkpoints and enter occupied East Jerusalem for employment, education, medical care, and religious worship. Permit restrictions for Palestinian workers have intensified significantly since October 2023, severely impacting cross-border staffing for social and municipal services.
The strike coincides with the official start of the academic year across Israel and Jerusalem, where approximately 6,000 educational institutions opened their doors on Tuesday. This includes 1,074 institutions serving the Arab sector, encompassing roughly 586,000 enrolled students.
The permit dispute adds to mounting pressure on East Jerusalem's Palestinian education system following legislation passed by the Israeli Knesset in January. The law bars individuals holding academic degrees from Palestinian Authority-affiliated higher education institutions from gaining employment or teaching licenses within the Israeli-regulated education system.
Data reported by Israeli daily Haaretz indicates that roughly 6,700 teachers currently work across East Jerusalem's Arab education system, with at least 60% holding bachelor's degrees from academic institutions based in the West Bank. School administrators warn that the combination of permit denials and strict qualification laws risks creating severe, structural staffing shortages throughout the city's Arab schools.
