Israel opens school in mainly Palestinian East Jerusalem
Israel has for the first time opened a school for Palestinians in the heart of East Jerusalem, shedding light on the state of the education system in that part of the city and raising concerns of Israeli encroachment in a predominantly Palestinian area.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — In an unprecedented move, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat on Sept. 4. inaugurated an Israeli-run public school in the heart of predominantly Arab East Jerusalem, near Herod's Gate. The Ula Primary School for Boys and Girls replaces what had once been a Palestinian-run school at that location. Barkat posted a video on Facebook from the opening day, which included a Palestinian girl delivering a welcome speech in Hebrew and other Palestinian students singing songs in Hebrew.
Barkat describes the new school as the “first primary school for Jerusalem students who wish to study for the Israeli bagrut [matriculation exam] early on.” He said the school, housed in a single building, has 15 classrooms for 290 Palestinian students in grades 1-8.
From 1982 to 2014, the Palestinian Refugee Girls Secondary School occupied the site where Ula is now located. The Palestinian owners of the land and the building and the Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Education and Higher Education, which administered the school, terminated their contract, allegedly over a dispute about the yearly rent of 150,000 Jordanian dinars (more than $211,000). An Israeli court then ordered the school to vacate the property.
In July, the Israeli-run Ula School moved from land belonging to the Israeli municipality on the northern periphery of East Jerusalem, transferring currently enrolled students with it, to the building at Herod's Gate, which serves as an entrance to the Old City and an access route to Salah al-Din Street, a major commercial street. All the other Israeli schools for Palestinians remain on the periphery of East Jerusalem.
