AMMAN — Secretary-General of the Royal Committee for Jerusalem Affairs Abdullah Kanaan on Thursday stressed that educational institutions in occupied Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip and across the occupied Palestinian territories are facing an intensifying and systematic process of Judaisation and Israelisation.

 

He noted that the campaign mirrors pressures affecting other service and livelihood sectors and has led to increasingly harsh living conditions that leave Palestinians without even basic rights and necessities, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

 

Kanaan also added that the Israeli occupation is implementing wide-ranging restrictive policies rooted in apartheid, as part of plans aimed at the destruction and forced displacement of the Palestinian people, noting that education has emerged as one of the main targets of these policies.

 

He noted that the systematic campaign against education was recently highlighted by UNRWA’s announcement to terminate the contracts of more than 600 staff outside the Gaza Strip due to financial difficulties, a move expected to negatively impact the provision of educational and health services to Palestinian refugees.

 

Kanaan warned of a systematic campaign by the Israeli occupation targeting Palestinian education and public services across the occupied territories, particularly in the Gaza Strip.

 

“The Israeli occupation continues to enforce a policy of Israelisation on the educational curriculum, shaping the teaching of Palestinian history, identity and culture in Jerusalem schools in line with the Municipality of Jerusalem and Education Department, and has allocated 215 million shekels in its 2024–2028 education plan for Jerusalem to further advance this approach in the education sector,” Kanaan said.

 

Kanaan highlighted that particularly since October 7, 2023, the far-right Israeli government has treated the Israelisation of education as a national security priority, while disrupting educational activities through halted maintenance, arrests of teachers and students, checkpoints, and the separation wall.

 

“Policies targeting Palestinian schools form part of the Israeli campaign against Palestinian identity, history and culture, with refugee tents and the courtyards of destroyed hospitals serving as classrooms and graduation venues, as recently seen in Gaza,” he added.

 

Kanaan called on international organisations and human rights institutions to step up efforts to protect the rights of the Palestinian people, particularly their rights to education, healthcare, and self-determination.

 

He reiterated that Jordan will continue to support Palestinian rights, in line with its historical Hashemite custodianship of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.