In this week’s news from the Eastern Churches, produced in collaboration with L’Œuvre d’Orient, we go to the Middle East, where Jerusalem’s Christian schools went on strike after the work permits of more than 100 teachers from the West Bank were not renewed.
In January, the school year did not begin for ten thousand students in Jerusalem’s Christian schools.
On January 10, the schools went on strike after the work permits of 171 teachers from the West Bank were not renewed. These permits, issued by Israel, allow Palestinians to work legally on its territory. After October 7, almost all of them were revoked. Teachers had been spared—until December 30.
In a statement, the General Secretariat of Christian Schools denounced these arbitrary measures and said it was unable to ensure a normal school semester. Under pressure, the Israeli authorities partially backed down: some teachers’ permits were renewed, but only for five days a week, preventing them from teaching on Saturdays.
And the future is a cause for concern. A bill under review in 2025 could ban the employment of teachers trained in the Palestinian territories. More than sixty percent of teachers in East Jerusalem would be affected.
Yet in these schools, their leaders continue to say the same thing: here, a message of peace is being taught.
