Israel rejects appeal against demolition of Palestinian primary school in Bethlehem

An Israeli court rejected an appeal today against the demolition of a Palestinian primary school in the southern occupied West Bank governorate of Bethlehem, reported Wafa news agency.

Submitted by the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission and the Society of St. Yves, a Catholic human rights organisation, the appeal was against a previous court order to demolish Al-Tahadi School 5 in Beit Taamir.

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The Director of the Office of the Bethlehem Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, Hassan Brijieh, told Wafa that an Israeli court in favour of the school’s demolition in 2017 and since then the file has been legally followed up in order to cancel this decision, however, the court rejected the appeal during a hearing last week.

Some 66 students attend the school, which was previously demolished and rebuilt in 2017.

School 5 is one of 17 Al-Tahadi schools, built by the Palestinian Authority (PA) in Area C of the Occupied West Bank, which constitutes around 60 per cent of its area.

Under the 1995 Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, was divided into three regions – Area A, B and C.

Area C is under Israel’s administrative and security control until a final status agreement is reached with the Palestinians.

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