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Israel is advancing plans to move pupils learning in schools run by the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, to Israeli-approved curriculum as legislation to ban the organisation from operating in the country nears.
The move aims to reduce the number of pupils taught a Palestinian curriculum by teachers from the occupied West Bank. The syllabus would be replaced with a learning programme formulated by the Israeli government, taught by Hebrew-speaking instructors.
In October last year, the Israeli parliament passed two laws that would ban work by UNRWA, prohibiting the agency’s operations in areas under Israeli control and barring Israeli officials from co-ordinating with its personnel. The body provides education and social services for tens of thousands of Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem, Gaza and the West Bank who fled or were removed from their homes in the 1948 war that led to the establishment of Israel.
The ban, which has been condemned by the international community, comes into force on January 28.
There are 125,000 pupils in East Jerusalem, including those in UNRWA schools, ecclesiastical Christian schools and Israeli government schools, according to Orit Harel, spokeswoman of the Knesset’s Education, Culture and Sports Committee.
There are currently two curriculums taught in the city: an Israeli one and a Palestinian version devised by the Palestinian Authority.
Israeli officials are calling for UNRWA schools and other campuses teaching the Palestinian curriculum to switch to the Israeli one because they accuse the current learning programmes of anti-Semitism and inciting hatred. UNRWA says it has, “zero tolerance for hate speech and incitement to discrimination, or violence,” and that independent analysts and international education experts have “vouched for the quality and content of the education” provided in its schools.
“As a city, we have the possibility, we have the budget, we have the tools to educate the Arab population,” deputy mayor of Jerusalem Arieh King told The National last year. “The majority today are already studying in other schools, not UNRWA schools. We are capable of adding the rest that are still with UNRWA, and any other services that UNRWA is giving.”
Mr King is a supporter of settlements in East Jerusalem, which under international law has been occupied by Israel since 1967. Israel views the city as its capital and opposes the creation of a Palestinian State with the city's eastern sector as its capital.
Israel is building a 26,000 square metre school next to the Shuafat refugee camp, within Jerusalem’s boundaries, partly to accommodate children taught in UNRWA schools, which it wants to shut down. Authorities are also trying to find places for current UNRWA pupils in other schools across East Jerusalem.
“We also have plans to build the same in Qalandia and anywhere in East Jerusalem where UNRWA has any kind of service,” Mr King said. “We are the municipality and with the help of the Israeli government, we will try now to convince more and more Arabs to leave the UNRWA services that are being given, and to be in touch with more positive services and more professional services that we will provide them.”
Any new schools in East Jerusalem follow only the Israeli curriculum, according to Ms Harel.
In existing schools, the Israeli curriculum is replacing the Palestinian one. In August 2023, the Israeli government approved a decision that aimed to increase the proportion of pupils studying the Israeli programme from 24 per cent to 45 per cent in 2027-2028, in schools controlled by the Jerusalem municipality.
“In the last discussion on the subject, the director of the Jerusalem district in the Ministry of Education said that this year they are introducing two such classes (the Israeli curriculum) in ten schools,” Ms Harel told The National. “The other classes in those schools continue in the first stage with their regular Palestinian curriculum.”
However, officials from UNRWA and other humanitarian organisations, oppose Israel’s moves to shut down UNRWA and to move all children in East Jerusalem to the Israeli curriculum.
On the grounds of a UNRWA vocational training centre in the Qalandia refugee camp, Roland Friedrich, director of UNRWA affairs for the West Bank field office set out how the organisation is trying to navigate the future.
Mr Friedrich fears the two Israeli laws could lead to the cancellation of programmes in the occupied Palestinian Territories, at a time of need.
That could affect schooling as well as other areas such as the provision of medical services. If staff are not able to interact with Israeli authorities, it could become impossible to cross military checkpoints and import goods for healthcare centres.
“We’ve not received any guidance, correspondence or information,” he said. “The concern is about a situation in which we’re still bound by our mandate but these services completely stop.
“UNRWA cannot be expected to provide solutions for problems that we did not create,” Mr Friedrich said.
UNRWA’s presence in Qalandia is a sign of how complex and integral a part of the West Bank the agency has become after 75 years. There are 19 refugee camps and more than 900,000 registered refugees in the territory, which includes East Jerusalem. Qalandia is in both East Jerusalem and Area C of the West Bank, where Israeli authorities have administrative and security control under the Oslo Accords.
The centre from which Mr Friedrich spoke contained several teaching centres, where pupils learn vocations that most reliably provide an income in the unstable area, such as computer and mobile phone maintenance.
A short walk away across a busy road that is often gridlocked because of traffic from a nearby Israeli checkpoint, girls at a primary school went about their day during what could be one of their last terms at the campus.
On one side of the building young girls were chanting in English during a language lesson. In the courtyard, a class of pupils a few years older were bellowing motivational slogans before dashing into an obstacle course.
In Gaza, where many UNRWA schools have turned into shelters, the consequences of the bills could be immediately life-threatening, Mr Friedrich said.
“If we can’t have interaction with Israeli counterparts officially then it will be very difficult to deconflict aid convoys in the Gaza Strip and their movements in the West Bank,” he said. Scores of humanitarian workers have been killed in Gaza throughout the war, many of whom worked for UNRWA.
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
Timeline
1947
Ferrari’s road-car company is formed and its first badged car, the 125 S, rolls off the assembly line
1962
250 GTO is unveiled
1969
Fiat becomes a Ferrari shareholder, acquiring 50 per cent of the company
1972
The Fiorano circuit, Ferrari’s racetrack for development and testing, opens
1976
First automatic Ferrari, the 400 Automatic, is made
1987
F40 launched
1988
Enzo Ferrari dies; Fiat expands its stake in the company to 90 per cent
2002
The Enzo model is announced
2010
Ferrari World opens in Abu Dhabi
2011
First four-wheel drive Ferrari, the FF, is unveiled
2013
LaFerrari, the first Ferrari hybrid, arrives
2014
Fiat Chrysler announces the split of Ferrari from the parent company
2015
Ferrari launches on Wall Street
2017
812 Superfast unveiled; Ferrari celebrates its 70th anniversary
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Indoor Cricket World Cup Dubai 2017
Venue Insportz, Dubai; Admission Free
Day 1 fixtures (Saturday)
Men 1.45pm, Malaysia v Australia (Court 1); Singapore v India (Court 2); UAE v New Zealand (Court 3); South Africa v Sri Lanka (Court 4)
Women Noon, New Zealand v South Africa (Court 3); England v UAE (Court 4); 5.15pm, Australia v UAE (Court 3); England v New Zealand (Court 4)
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
UAE SQUAD
Omar Abdulrahman (Al Hilal), Ali Khaseif, Ali Mabkhout, Salem Rashed, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Zayed Al Ameri, Mohammed Al Attas (Al Jazira), Khalid Essa, Ahmed Barman, Ryan Yaslam, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Habib Fardan, Tariq Ahmed, Mohammed Al Akbari (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmin (Al Wasl), Adel Al Hosani, Ali Hassan Saleh, Majed Suroor (Sharjah), Ahmed Khalil, Walid Abbas, Majed Hassan, Ismail Al Hammadi (Shabab Al Ahli), Hassan Al Muharrami, Fahad Al Dhahani (Bani Yas), Mohammed Al Shaker (Ajman)
RESULTS
6.30pm UAE 1000 Guineas Trial Conditions (TB) US$100,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner Final Song, Christophe Soumillon (jockey), Saeed bin Suroor (trainer).
7.05pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (Turf) 1,000m
Winner Almanaara, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson.
7.40pm Handicap (TB) $175,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner Grand Argentier, Brett Doyle, Doug Watson.
8.15pm Meydan Challenge Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner Major Partnership, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor.
8.50pm Dubai Stakes Group 3 (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner Gladiator King, Mickael Barzalona, Satish Seemar.
9.25pm Dubai Racing Club Classic Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,410m
Winner Universal Order, Richard Mullen, David Simcock.
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Founders: Ines Mena, Claudia Ribas, Simona Agolini, Nourhan Hassan and Therese Hundt
Date started: January 2017, app launched November 2017
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Private/Retail/Leisure
Number of Employees: 18 employees, including full-time and flexible workers
Funding stage and size: Seed round completed Q4 2019 - $1m raised
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, 500 Startups, Vision Ventures, Seedstars, Mindshift Capital, Delta Partners Ventures, with support from the OQAL Angel Investor Network and UAE Business Angels
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
RESULT
Argentina 0 Croatia 3
Croatia: Rebic (53'), Modric (80'), Rakitic (90' 1)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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