All Christian schools in Jerusalem announced on August 31 evening that they will suspend classes after Israel refused to renew entry permits for more than 70 teachers and staff, preventing them from reaching their schools.
The 2026-2027 academic year is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, September 1.
In a statement, the schools said the permit denials for educational, administrative and support staff were sudden and came without prior warning.
The suspension will continue “until the necessary permits for teachers and employees are reissued and renewed,” they said, adding that the absence of so many staff members has disrupted educational, administrative, health, cleaning and security services.
The schools said the situation “makes it impossible to ensure a safe and stable start” to the academic year.
Since October 2023, Israel has restricted entry permits for Palestinian workers from the occupied West Bank, including teachers, coinciding with the start of its genocidal war on Palestine’s Gaza.
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