Israel settler violence forces closure of only primary school in occupied West Bank village

The only primary school in the village of Yanoun, near the town of Aqraba south of Nablus in the northern occupied West Bank, has been forced to close after escalating threats and attacks by Israeli settlers against residents and their property.

The school building now stands empty of pupils and teachers, a closure residents say goes beyond an interruption to education and represents a serious blow to children’s right to safety and stability. Local officials describe the shutdown as another sign of silent forced displacement affecting the village.

Salah al-Din Jaber, mayor of Aqraba, said the school operates out of an old house that was renovated in 2000 to serve as a primary school. He said it is considered one of the smallest schools in the world in terms of both size and number of students.

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Jaber said only a small number of children attended the school up to sixth grade before moving on to schools in neighbouring villages. Despite its modest scale, he described the school as a “crucial factor of resilience” that enabled families to remain in Yanoun despite the lack of basic services and persistent security threats.

“The school’s presence prevented forced displacement because it allowed families to stay close to their homes,” Jaber told Quds Press.

According to Jaber, the decision to suspend classes was taken to protect students after repeated settler attacks and threats against villagers. He said reopening the school depends on residents being able to return safely to their homes, the provision of protection for the community, and curbing settler groups that, he said, have created a climate of fear and forced residents to flee in search of safety.

Yanoun, located east of Nablus, has long faced pressure from nearby settlements, with residents warning that continued attacks threaten to empty the village entirely if effective protection is not provided.

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