RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinian activists restored some good cheer to primary school students in Jub al-Thib as they set about rebuilding their school over the night of Sept. 9-10 using concrete blocks. On Aug. 22, Israeli authorities had demolished the only school in this West Bank village, located east of Bethlehem, a day before the start of the new school year. Israel has practically banned construction by Palestinians in Area C, where Jub al-Thib is located, denying them permits to do so and prohibiting the use of concrete. It destroyed the school building on the grounds of being constructed without a permit. Area C is completely controlled by Israel, as set out in the Oslo Accord.

The demolition left some of the 64 students in grades one through four in tears. The children had previously attended classes in warehouses and had been looking forward to a new school building. The residents of Jub al-Thib worked for months to build the since-destroyed school, the first to be erected in their village. The European Union provided financial support for the project, and construction proceeded under the supervision of the Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Education and Higher Education.

In an Aug. 23 statement, the Norwegian Refugee Council said, “Right now, some 55 schools in the West Bank are threatened with demolition and ‘stop-work’ orders by Israeli authorities.” Shadi Othman, EU spokesperson in Palestine, said that 20 of the schools are EU-funded, and four, including Jub al-Thib, have been destroyed.

“The EU has taken a firm decision to provide financial support for development projects in these areas and provide all possible humanitarian services, despite the demolition threat,” Othman told Al-Monitor. “Our decision to work in Area C and implement 20 million euros worth of projects falls within the EU's priorities. The EU will intervene immediately to find alternatives for demolished schools until new school buildings are reconstructed.”