Palestinian children return to school under threat of Israel demolition

What the report says

Palestinian schoolchildren in Masafer Yatta, in the southern occupied West Bank, are starting the new academic year under the shadow of demolition orders, according to Al Jazeera. The report focuses on Shaab al-Butum school, where three students — Farah, 17, Mohammed, 8, and Jawad, 7 — are returning to classes after Israeli forces demolished two administrative rooms and a storage room on August 4. The rest of the school is also facing a legal threat, with a court case scheduled for September 15.

Al Jazeera reported that Israeli authorities said the structures were built without permits, which Palestinians say are extremely difficult to obtain in Area C of the occupied West Bank, where Israel controls planning and security. The article says this has left families worried that the village’s only school could be lost altogether, disrupting education and increasing fear of more confrontations with Israeli forces.

Local officials and educators interviewed by Al Jazeera described the situation as part of a broader pattern in Masafer Yatta and other parts of the West Bank. Nidal Younis, head of the local council, said all seven schools in the wider area now face demolition threats. Teacher and activist Tariq Hathaleen said settler attacks and demolition orders have made schools feel less protected and have affected daily life beyond education.

The Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, as cited by Al Jazeera, says 84 Palestinian schools serving nearly 13,000 students are currently under demolition or stop-work orders. The report places the school threat in a wider context of land-use restrictions, settler violence and pressure on Palestinian communities in Area C.