Photo, FHL

Article by Cécile Lemoine of Terra Santa.net

The return to school in January, after the Christmas holidays, did not take place for the 10 thousand pupils of the Christian schools in Jerusalem. Although the start of the second semester was scheduled for January 10, these 12 institutions, among the most renowned in the Holy City, decided to hold a protest against the non-renewal of work permits for 171 of their teachers, who are commuting from locations in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The permits in question are temporary authorizations issued by the Jewish state to allow Palestinian residents of the West Bank to enter Israel and carry out regular work there. Permits are subject to safety checks, limited in time and often tied to a specific employer or precise times. The vast majority of them were revoked after 7 October, with the sole exception of those issued to teachers and health professionals.

"The problems began last summer," says Brother Daoud Kassabry, director of the College of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (La Salle), one of the most prestigious private schools in Jerusalem. "The Israeli authorities revoked teachers' permits from July 20 to August 20, on the grounds that there were no classes. But it is not because you don't go to class that the school does not work, on the contrary: there were summer camps and maintenance work to manage."

Few teachers in Jerusalem

After August 20, the permits were renewed, but only for a few months, and expired on December 30. "Only a few teachers have obtained a new permit and, in some cases, it does not cover Saturdays, which are also a school day for us," sighs Brother Daoud, whose institute employs 70 teachers, 22 of whom come from the West Bank, and in particular from Bethlehem. "It is difficult to find teachers in Jerusalem, which is why we recruit in Bethlehem, even though we know that everything is more complicated."

Christian schools are classified by the Israeli Ministry of Education and the competent department of the Jerusalem Municipality as "recognized but unofficial institutions". They are attended by Palestinian students, Christians and Muslims together, and follow the Palestinian school curriculum (tawjihi) – with textbooks modified by the Israeli authorities – as well as international curricula.

After the publication on January 10 of a statement from the General Secretariat of Christian Schools "rejecting" the "arbitrary measures" and affirming its "inability to ensure the smooth running of the second semester of school as long as these measures remain in force," the Israeli authorities eased the pressure slightly. Palestinian teachers' permits have been renewed, but only for five days a week, instead of the usual seven.

However, some exceptions remain. "Our 60-year-old academic coordinator was refused permission on the grounds that she is not 'married' and that she must renew her electronic identity card, although it is still valid for six months," explains Sister Lucy Jadallah, director of the Sisters of the Rosary school, which employs 33 teachers from the Palestinian Territories.

Pressure on school curricula

"We never receive explanations that justify these decisions, and we don't even understand who they come from: from the government? From the army? From the Israeli Ministry of Education?", deplores the nun, who says she is now thinking about the opportunity to no longer recruit teachers from the West Bank: "We know that, in the end, this is precisely what the Israeli authorities are looking for". Contacted in this regard, the Ministry of Education has not yet responded.

Permit difficulties highlight a long-standing conflict over education for Palestinian students in East Jerusalem. Israel argues that the Palestinian program contains hate speech and denies its right to exist. As a result, private schools are under increasing pressure to adopt the Israeli program (bagrut) as a condition for obtaining grants, while their budgets are strained by the war.

A bill brought to the Knesset in 2025 aims to ban the employment of teachers who have studied in the Palestinian Territories. With more than 60 percent of teachers in East Jerusalem holding such degrees, the measure poses a constant threat to educational institutions. "Our schools bring a message of peace, respect, understanding and acceptance of the other," emphasizes Sister Lucy Jadallah. "We hope that this message will be received with the same spirit and the same values on the other side."