Ramallah, July 10 (Petra)– Israeli settlers demolished the Yanoun
Mixed Basic School in the Yanoun hamlet, south of Nablus in the
northern occupied West Bank, on Friday morning, according to the
Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education.

In a statement, the ministry said the school, which served around 15
students from first to sixth grade, was destroyed approximately eight
months after residents of the Yanoun hamlet were forcibly displaced.

The ministry described the demolition as “a new crime against
Palestinian children” and said it constitutes a blatant violation of
international humanitarian law and international conventions that
guarantee the right to education and prohibit attacks on educational
institutions.

It said the school had been a vital educational facility for children
in the community for years, ensuring access to education for students
from the first through sixth grades. The ministry added that the
demolition forms part of what it described as a systematic policy
aimed at undermining the education system, increasing pressure on
Palestinian communities, and depriving children of their fundamental
right to education.

The ministry stressed that, in coordination with its partners, it
will continue taking all necessary measures to ensure that affected
students can continue their education despite ongoing violations.

It also called on the international community, the United Nations,
and human rights and humanitarian organizations to fulfill their
legal and moral responsibilities by taking urgent action to protect
education in Palestine, hold Israel accountable for what it described
as repeated violations against students and schools, and end the
targeting of educational institutions.

//Petra// MF