The inability of approximately 40 percent of teachers and staff from the West Bank to obtain entry permits for East Jerusalem has led private schools, including Christian schools, to strike at the start of the new academic year.
Richard Zananiri, director general of the El-Mutran School, said Israeli authorities issued some permits on Monday night but that not all teachers and staff had received them. Zananiri said private schools had jointly decided to continue the strike until permits were issued for all personnel.
Staff shortage disrupts education
Zananiri said schools could not operate normally while some employees were unable to reach their workplaces. He said the permit problem was preventing students, parents and teachers from experiencing the start of the new academic year, the bustle of school life, the ringing of the bell and the morning assembly.
Teachers living in the West Bank must obtain permits to pass through checkpoints in order to reach East Jerusalem. Zananiri said the practice was not new and that schools had also gone on strike last December over a similar problem.
West Bank connection in East Jerusalem’s education system
Zananiri described the permit restrictions as a political measure aimed at separating East Jerusalem from the occupied West Bank. He said the policy was putting pressure on schools to stop relying on teachers from the West Bank.
Zananiri said teachers from the West Bank were part of Jerusalem’s education system, particularly because of staff shortages in some subjects. He said approximately 25 to 30 percent of the teachers at the El-Mutran School came from the West Bank. Schools in Jerusalem have approximately 120,000 students in total.
School types and entry permits in Jerusalem
Educational institutions in Jerusalem fall into three main groups: private schools, most of them Christian; schools affiliated with the Islamic Waqf Department; and schools affiliated with the Israeli municipality and the Education Ministry.
Israel requires Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank to obtain special permits to enter East Jerusalem. The permit system also covers entry for work, education, medical treatment and worship.
Law restricting teacher employment
In January 2026, Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, passed a law barring teachers who earned academic degrees at institutions linked to the Palestinian Authority from working in Israel’s education system.
According to an earlier Haaretz report, the law directly affects the availability of teachers in East Jerusalem. At least 60 percent of the approximately 6,700 teachers working in the Arab education system earned their academic degrees from higher-education institutions linked to Palestinian institutions.
