Israeli authorities demolished a school in a village near Bethlehem on Sunday. The controversial action was justified by the lack of planning permission and a risk of collapse. The EU has also co-financed the construction of the school. There is horror in Brussels about the punitive measure.
The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that Israeli soldiers, accompanied by bulldozers, entered the village in the south of the West Bank early in the morning. This led to confrontations with residents. The responsible Israeli Cogat authority stated that the building was erected without the necessary permits. Due to the danger of collapse, a court ordered its destruction.
The Al-Tahadi School is said to have been destroyed in 2017 and then rebuilt. In March, an Israeli court granted the request of a right-wing Israeli organization and ordered the demolition repeated. Bassam Jabr, who is in charge of education in the Bethlehem area, said Wafa, the school has about 60 students from 1st to 4th grade.
EU representation: “Only increase the suffering of the Palestinians”
The EU representation in the Palestinian Territories expressed “dismay” at the destruction. Such building demolitions are illegal under international law, “and children’s right to education must be respected,” it said in a tweet. “Israel must stop all destruction and evictions that will only increase the suffering of the Palestinian people.” They continued to escalate the already tense situation.
Israel repeatedly demolishes Palestinian homes and buildings in the West Bank and East Jerusalem if they were built without Israeli permission. The houses of relatives of Palestinian assassins are also being demolished. Israel calls this deterrence. Human rights activists criticize this practice as collective punishment.
Source: Krone
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