On Monday, a European diplomatic delegation visited the Palestinian village of Isfi, in the southern West Bank, whose school was demolished by the Israeli army last November.
The delegation included the representative of the European Union and ambassadors of the EU and other countries, and met the villagers and representatives of the local community and listened to their demands, according to Anadolu Agency.
Nidal Younis, head of the Masafer Yatta Local Council, told Anadolu Agency that the delegation was briefed on the suffering of the residents, the persecution they were subjected to, and the ruins of the demolished school.
He added that “16 consuls, ambassadors and representatives from European Union countries visited the demolished Isfi School, which was built with European funding.”
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He continued, “We called for international pressure on the occupation to stop the demolition and pursue humanitarian services, so they promised (the consuls) to continue supporting the institutions and the steadfastness of the population in the region.”
The European Union also promised to communicate with the Israeli government to stop its violation of international law and United Nations charters, according to the local official.
Younes also pointed out that “22 students who used to attend the school are now organized in classrooms made of tents,” pointing out that “the Israeli army confiscated the contents of the school before demolishing it.”
On November 23, the Israeli authorities demolished the school in the Masafer Yatta area, south of Hebron, on the grounds of “building without a permit”.
At that time, the European Union expressed in a statement its shock at the Israeli forces’ demolition of the “funded by European donors” school.
He stressed the necessity of “respecting the right of Palestinian children to education,” expressing “deep concern over the Israeli measures that target humanitarian facilities.”
Last August, the Palestinian Ministry of Education announced that more than 36 schools were threatened with demolition in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Palestinians are prohibited from making any change or construction in Area C without an official permit, which is impossible to obtain from Israel, according to local and international organizations.
The “Oslo 2” agreement of 1995 classified the lands of the West Bank into 3 areas: “A” is under full Palestinian control, “B” is under Israeli security, Palestinian civil and administrative control, and “C” is under Israeli civil, administrative and security control, and the latter constitutes about 60 percent of the area. area of the West Bank.
