Jerusalem private schools suspend classes over Israeli entry permit restrictions

Palestinian private schools in occupied East Jerusalem announced Monday that they will suspend classes starting Tuesday until further notice, protesting Israel’s failure to renew entry permits for a large number of teachers and staff from the occupied West Bank.

The decision came as the 2026-2027 school year is scheduled to begin Tuesday in Jerusalem.

Private school owners said in a statement that the suspension was prompted by Israeli authorities' failure to renew entry permits for “a large number of teachers and staff without prior notice.”

They said schools' lack of preparedness in health, hygiene, security and safety measures posed an additional obstacle to the start of a safe and stable academic year.

Classes will resume “immediately after all permits for teachers and staff are reissued and renewed without exception,” the statement said.

Separately, the General Secretariat for Christian Educational Institutions in Jerusalem said Israeli authorities had unexpectedly declined to renew entry permits for more than 70 teachers and employees.

The Christian schools said the measure prevented affected employees from reaching their schools and directly undermined preparations for the academic year.

They said the staff shortages affected educational, administrative and health-related work, as well as cleaning, security and safety procedures.

Following consultations with relevant bodies and parents' representatives, the Christian schools decided to suspend classes from Tuesday “until the necessary permits for teachers and employees are reissued and renewed.”

They warned that a recurrence of such measures would undermine school stability and negatively affect students, families, educational staff and the wider community.

Since October 2023, Israel has restricted entry permits for Palestinian workers from the occupied West Bank, including teachers, coinciding with the start of the genocidal war in the Gaza Strip.