EU slams Israel’s decision to raze school in West Bank

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – Sven Kuhn von Burgsdorff, the EU representative in Palestine, has stated that Israel’s decision to demolish Ein Samiya School in the occupied West Bank is “illegal” and violates international law.

Burgsdorff made the remarks in an exclusive statement on the occasion of his visit to the Ein Samiya School in the northeast of Ramallah, where he was accompanied by representatives and ambassadors from European Union countries in Palestine.

The official noted that Israel’s decision to demolish the school on the pretext of ‘incitement against Israel in textbooks’ is “illegal” and “inconsistent” with international humanitarian law.

Burgsdorff pointed out that the school was built with EU support and funding in order to serve students and provide them with education.

If the school is demolished over an accusation that has not been established, students would be forced to walk 9 kilometers (approximately 6 miles) to another nearby school along a road surrounded by Israeli settlements, putting their lives in danger.

The EU representative urged Israel to reverse its “demolition decision” over a flimsy pretext.

On August 11, the Israeli District Court in Jerusalem issued a decision to “immediately demolish” the school due to content in the syllabus which supposedly incites students against Israel.

The Jerusalem Center for Social and Economic Rights said the school serves students of the Ein Samia community, totaling about 300 people. It is located in Area C, which is used to classify parts of the West Bank that are under Israel’s control.

On July 28, the Israeli Minister of Education, Shasha-Biton, decided to revoke the licenses of six schools in occupied East Jerusalem with more than 2,000 students, “on the background of incitement against Israel in textbooks,” according to a ministry statement.