Education Ministry shuts down six UNRWA-run schools in eastern Jerusalem, citing their illegal operation and ties between the UN agency and Gaza-based terrorists.
The Education Ministry announced Thursday that six schools affiliated with UNRWA, the UN’s “Palestinian refugees” agency, in eastern Jerusalem have been ordered to cease operations after being found to function without proper licensing, JNS reported.
“These institutions were operating illegally and without licenses,” the ministry stated, adding that notifications were sent out to parents in recent months instructing them to enroll their children in officially recognized schools across the capital.
The ministry further emphasized its intention to ensure a smooth transition for affected students: “We will ensure the immediate and optimal integration of all students.”
UNRWA’s Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini criticized the move, calling the closures “an assault on children.”
The closures come in the wake of a government directive issued last month, enforcing legislation passed by the Knesset in October to end all cooperation with UNRWA and bar its activities within Israeli jurisdiction.
A week after the Knesset passed the legislation, then-Foreign Minister Israel Katz officially announced the cancellation of the 1967 agreement between Israel and UNRWA, which formed the legal basis for relations between the State of Israel and UNRWA. The legislation officially took effect on January 30.
UNRWA has long been criticized for its cooperation with Hamas. That criticism has increased since Israel revealed a year ago that UNRWA staff participated in the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks.
It then presented a dossier showing that the UNRWA workers who participated in the Hamas massacre kidnapped a woman, handed out ammunition and actively took part in the massacre at Kibbutz Be’eri, where 97 people were murdered.
Following the Israeli revelations, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced the creation of a review group, headed by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, to look into the Israeli allegations.
The group, which released its report last April, said it found neutrality-related issues” in UNRWA but also claimed that Israel had yet to provide evidence for allegations that a significant number of its staff were members of terrorist organizations.
More recently, Emily Damari, a former Hamas hostage who was freed after 470 days in captivity, said that she was held at an UNRWA facility while in captivity.
Damari, who holds both British and Israeli citizenship, told British Prime Minister Keir Starmer that she was denied adequate medical care while being detained at an UNRWA school.
The UN’s top humanitarian aid official, Tom Fletcher, later denied the claims and stated that he has “not seen a shred of evidence” suggesting the UN was involved in the holding of hostages in Gaza, either through the use of its facilities or by its staff.
