clear

Creating new perspectives since 2009

Sacked teachers to return to work in occupied West Bank

February 17, 2014 at 11:19 pm

EXCLUSIVE PICTURES

The Palestinian Supreme Court in Ramallah has ruled that teachers who were sacked for their political affiliation in the West Bank have to be reinstated. The ruling to cancel the decision of the Education Ministry to sack teachers for their political affiliation was unanimous among the 19-strong juror committee. The committee determined that firing employees due to their political affiliation is not a valid legal reason to terminate employment.


Although only released today, the ruling was actually made four years ago. Lawyer Yazan Sawaftah said that the Court is going to publish all related details in the next day or so.

The complaint against the Ministry of Education in Ramallah was filed by the Palestinian Committee for Human Rights on behalf of 36 sacked teachers. They did not ask for any compensation, but only to be reinstated to their teaching posts.

The teachers involved, who organised a sit-in during the hearing, were very happy at the decision. “It is a positive decision, but we do not want any procrastination now by the Ministry of Education,” one of the teachers said. “Thousands of our dependents look for justice to bring an end to end their suffering.”

Hundreds of civil and security workers were sacked by the Ramallah Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank because of their support for the Islamic Resistance Movement. Thousands of university graduates have also been ruled out of new jobs because of this unlawful precondition to employment.

MEMO Photographer: Ibtehal Mansour