Milan (AsiaNews) – Christian schools in Jerusalem went on strike today, as an extreme, yet necessary response to defend their teachers and staff and the right to education of their students in the face of the unjust and unfair impositions by Israeli authorities.
AsiaNews was informed of the decision by a statement issued yesterday by the General Secretariat of Christian Educational Institutions, which announced school closure starting this morning, a step reportedly linked to Israel’s failure to renew entry permits for more than 70 Palestinian teaching, administrative and support staff.
The measure, the statement notes, prevents employees from reaching schools and has compromised preparations for the start of the new 2026-2027 academic year in an already challenging environment due to the closures imposed first by COVID-19 and then by war.
General lockdown
All Christian schools in Jerusalem have decided to suspend classes in protest against Israel’s failure to renew entry permits for scores of teachers, which has affected approximately 8,500 students, depriving them of the opportunity to attend classes after the summer holidays.
This initiative is not limited to Catholic schools within the Custody or those linked to the Latin Patriarchate, since it has been backed by the Armenian community.
“For hundreds of years, the Christian schools in Jerusalem have carried out a deeply rooted educational and humanitarian mission and have constituted an integral part of the city’s identity and its cultural and social fabric,” the General Secretariat’s statement reads.
Throughout history, Christian schools have always been committed to quality education, which has helped shape the values and knowledge, as well as sense of belonging and responsibility of generations.
In the statement, the General Secretariat stresses that Israel's measure, while not new, was taken "suddenly and without warning”, preventing teachers from reaching their schools and disrupting the start of the new school year.
The absence of such a large number of staff affects various aspects of school operations, including educational, administrative and health services, as well as cleaning and security and safety measures, the statement notes. For the schools, the situation “makes it impossible to ensure a safe and stable start” to the academic year.
School closures will remain in effect until permits for teachers and non-teaching staff are renewed. Meanwhile, the General Secretariat reiterated its “full commitment to our students’ right to education, we also emphasize the importance of the educational mission carried by our schools,” which are an essential part of the Christian identity, culture and presence in Jerusalem.
The schools’ mission is to educate, inspired by a culture of just peace. “The recurrence of such measures undermines the stability of our schools, hinders their ability to fulfil their mission, and negatively affects students, their families, educational staff, and society as a whole."
In light of the situation, “We pray and hope that this crisis will be resolved as quickly as possible, that such measures will cease and not recur in the future,” the statement notes.
The latter ends by stressing “students’ right to regular and safe education, and enabling our schools to continue their educational and humanitarian mission”.
United in protest
The battle of Jerusalem's Christian schools is not only backed by Latin Catholics, but also by the Armenian community of the Holy Land, Protestants, and Evangelicals, in the spirit of ecumenism on the ground.
Among those who have roundly condemned the measure taken by Israel is Pastor Munther Isaac, of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem, West Bank, who took to social media to express his disappointment.
“Israel’s pressure on the Christian presence in Jerusalem continues,” Isaac said on X. “Christian schools in the city are going on strike because Israel refuses to issue permits to their West Bank teachers”.
This pressure intensified in the aftermath of 7 October 2023, with the Hamas attack and Israel's war on Gaza, followed by violence across the Holy Land, with Israel limiting, if not withholding entry permits for Palestinian workers from the West Bank, including teachers and non-teaching staff.
Archbishop Nourhan Manougian also issued a patriarchal decree suspending classes at Sts Tarkmanchatz Armenian school, the School of the Holy Translators, a historic building located in the Armenian Quarter of the Old City.
The prelate’s statement reads: “The significant absence of essential staff affects various areas of school operations, including teaching and the educational process, administrative work, health and safety measures, cleaning services, and other essential functions.
“Under the current circumstances, unfortunately, it is not possible to ensure a safe and orderly start to the academic year for our students.”
It goes on to say: “We regret the inconvenience and disruption that this situation may cause our students and their families. We reaffirm our full commitment to our students’ right to education and to our educational mission, which is founded upon providing a safe, stable, and high-quality educational environment.”
It ends noting: “We hope and pray that this situation will be resolved swiftly and that the necessary permits will be reinstated, enabling the students and staff of the Christian schools to return to school as soon as possible and allowing the academic year to proceed normally.”
The Christmas precedent
The latest school closure is not an isolated case. A similar measure, on a smaller scale, was implemented last January after the Christmas holidays, when 12 Christian schools in Jerusalem went on strike, also over work permits for about 171 teachers from the West Bank, but only on weekends.
The decision affected over 10,000 students from schools considered among the most renowned and qualified in the Holy City, which suspended classes in solidarity with the commuting teachers who, at least on some days, can face many of the thousand checkpoints that dot the territory.
The permits are temporary, issued by the Jewish state to allow Palestinians from the West Bank to enter Israel and carry out regular work. Holders are subject to security checks, with permits limited in time, linked to employers or working hours.
Most permits were revoked after 7 October 2023, in response to the Hamas attack on Israel that triggered the war in Gaza, with the sole exception of those for teachers and healthcare workers.
This measure also severely affected Christian schools, which have been praised for years, not only, or not so much, for the quality of their education, but also for consistently serving as a model of coexistence and sharing.
“We have a music school," said Father Ibrahim Faltas, Franciscan friar and director of the Custody’s schools, “that welcomes Christians, Jews, and Muslims. The other schools are attended by both Christians and Muslims, with the latter the vast majority.”
“We always try to keep them to teach coexistence,” he added, despite challenges, not least the ongoing exodus of Christians.
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