Top photo caption: Palestinian Christians hold candles during a prayer vigil for peace in the courtyard of Terra Sancta Catholic School in the Old City of Jerusalem Nov. 9, 2023, amid the Israel-Hamas war. Israeli authorities denied entry permits for dozens of teachers and administrative staff, forcing Christian schools in Jerusalem to suspend the start of the 2026–2027 academic year. OSV News photo/Debbie Hill
By Junno Arocho Esteves, OSV News
OSV News — Israeli authorities denied entry permits for dozens of teachers and administrative staff, forcing Christian schools in Jerusalem to suspend the start of the academic year.
In a statement released Sept. 1 by the Custody of the Holy Land, the General Secretariat for Christian Educational Institutions in Jerusalem said the non-renewal of entry permits for more than 70 teachers and employees “occurred suddenly and without prior notice.”
“Accordingly, following consultation and coordination with the relevant authorities, representatives of parents, and Jerusalem schools, it has been decided to suspend school attendance in the schools of the city of Jerusalem,” the statement read, indicating suspension would begin Sept. 1 and last “until the necessary permits for teachers and staff are reissued and renewed, thereby ensuring that the educational process can proceed safely and properly.”
OSV News reached out to both the Custody of the Holy Land and Auxiliary Bishop William Shomali, patriarchal vicar for Jerusalem and Palestine, for a comment and is awaiting a response.
Following the annexation of East Jerusalem in 1967, Palestinians residing in the occupied West Bank are required to hold entry and work permits to enter Jerusalem. However, in recent years, Israeli legislation has made it difficult for Palestinian teachers to work.
In January, the Israeli Knesset passed legislation that bars educators who received degrees from universities within the Palestinian Authority from teaching in Israeli schools.
According to the Times of Israel, the law states that its purpose is “to prevent the harmful influence of the Palestinian Authority, which is hostile to the State of Israel and its values, and to safeguard the educational values of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state.”
The Palestinian Authority’s official news agency, WAFA, said the law’s criteria were not based on an individual’s academic or graduate competence, but “on a political and ideological generalization” that legalizes the exclusion and targeting of Palestinian academics.
In March, the Israeli Ministry for Education announced that it would not grant work permits to 171 Palestinian teachers living in the West Bank for the 2026-2027 academic year.
According to Aid to the Church in Need, the majority of Christian schools were founded at the end of the 19th century and educated both Christian and Muslim students. The schools, ACN said, “were established specifically to promote Christian education and to preserve the faith and the Christian presence in Jerusalem.”
In its statement, the General Secretariat said that Christian schools in Jerusalem have been “an integral part of the city’s identity and its cultural and social fabric” for hundreds of years.
“Throughout their history, our schools have been committed to providing high-quality and distinguished education and to raising generations founded on knowledge, values, belonging, and responsibility,” it said.
The sudden non-renewal of entry permits, the statement said, came as a surprise just as schools were preparing “for the opening of the new 2026-2027 academic year.”
“The absence of this large number of staff members affects various aspects of school operations, including educational, administrative, and health services, in addition to cleaning services and security and safety procedures. This makes it impossible to guarantee a safe and stable start for our students,” the secretariat said.
Affirming its commitment to their students’ right to education, the Christian Schools of Jerusalem said the measures barring educators and staff undermine “the stability of our schools, hinders their ability to fulfill their mission, and negatively affects students, their families, educational staff, and society as a whole.”
“We pray and hope that this crisis will be resolved as quickly as possible, that such measures will cease and not recur in the future, thereby preserving the stability of our educational institutions, guaranteeing students’ right to regular and safe education, and enabling our schools to continue their educational and humanitarian mission,” the statement read.
Junno Arocho Esteves is an international correspondent for OSV News. Follow him on X @jae_journalist.
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