Israel’s Curriculum Mandate and Permit Blockades Halt East Jerusalem Schools

Key points

• All new first and seventh-grade classes in East Jerusalem’s municipal schools must now use the Israeli curriculum, affecting over 45,000 students, a fourfold increase from six years ago.
• Private and Christian schools in Jerusalem launched an indefinite strike after Israel denied entry permits for more than 70 teachers and staff from the West Bank, just days before the school year began.
• A Knesset law passed in January 2026 prohibits the employment of teachers holding degrees from Palestinian Authority institutions, impacting roughly 60% of the 6,700 Arab educators in the city.
• Israeli forces seized UNRWA educational compounds in the Shu’fat and Kafr Aqab refugee camps, replacing them with Israeli-administered facilities.
• The Palestinian Education Ministry and Jerusalem Governorate condemned the actions as a 'cultural and educational crime' aimed at erasing Palestinian history and identity.

Background

This escalation follows a broader pattern of Israeli restrictions on Palestinian education in East Jerusalem. In August 2026, Israeli forces seized the UNRWA Qalandia Training Centre, a vocational hub for Palestinian youth, citing security concerns related to the October 7 attacks. That incident drew international condemnation and highlighted ongoing tensions over UN premises. The current crisis marks a significant intensification of these policies, moving from infrastructure seizure to direct curriculum imposition and workforce exclusion.

How outlets are covering it

Outlets agree on the core facts but differ in emphasis. Al Jazeera and Anadolu Ajansı frame the events as a deliberate 'systematic' campaign to erase Palestinian identity, quoting officials who describe the curriculum change as a 'cultural crime.' Middle East Eye provides historical context, noting the curriculum shift from Jordanian to Palestinian to Israeli models, and highlights the financial coercion tactics used against schools. OSV News focuses on the humanitarian and religious impact, emphasizing the sudden nature of the permit denials and the threat to Christian educational heritage in Jerusalem. All sources confirm the scale of the impact, with Middle East Eye noting that 38% of Palestinian students are now under the Israeli curriculum, up from a much smaller share in 2020.

Why it matters

The imposition of the Israeli curriculum and the blocking of teachers represent a fundamental shift in the educational landscape of East Jerusalem. By controlling the narrative taught to children and restricting the workforce, Israel is altering the cultural and national identity of the Palestinian population in the city. This move has immediate consequences for student learning and long-term implications for the demographic and political status of Jerusalem, potentially accelerating the annexation process and deepening the divide between East Jerusalem and the West Bank.

What to watch

The indefinite strike by private and Christian schools will continue until entry permits are reissued. Palestinian authorities are pursuing legal challenges against the Knesset law and the permit denials, with some cases reaching the Supreme Court. International observers are monitoring the situation, with calls for urgent action to halt the measures. The outcome of these legal and diplomatic efforts will determine whether the curriculum mandate and permit blockades are reversed or become permanent features of the East Jerusalem education system.