RAMALLAH — On July 24, the Palestinian education department released a report on the impact of Israel's occupation on the education sector. It found that at least 592 Palestinian students and education workers have been killed between the eruption of the Al Aqsa intifada (September 2000) and June 3.
The death toll includes 377 school pupils, 186 university students, 22 teachers, six education ministry officials, and a university official killed in an extrajudicial assassination carried out by Israeli warplanes in Gaza.
The report pointed out that Israeli occupation forces have also wounded 4198 students and education workers, including 2900 school children, 1240 university students, 49 teachers and nine ministry workers. The number of students and staff members arrested by Israeli forces include 630 university students, 312 school children, 121 teachers and 17 ministry officials, the report added.
The report revealed that the educational institutions have been adversely affected by the Israeli offensive include: 282 schools, 10 universities and colleges, as well as six education ministry offices have been either shelled by Israeli warplanes and tanks, or bulldozed. Forty-three other educational centres have been turned into Israeli military outposts in different parts of the occupied Palestinian territories.
Israeli authorities have closed nine schools in the West Bank and threatened to close others, mainly in Nablus city, the report highlighted. Also, Israeli forces have closed two West Bank universities and inflicted severe damage to 38 schools. The report confirmed that Israeli troops have disrupted the educational process in 1125 schools in the West Bank, preventing tens of thousands of students from regularly attending classes.
Between September 2000 and May, the education sector in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip has suffered losses of US$3.6 million as a result of Israeli attacks.
The report documented attacks by the Israeli military that can only be described as criminal vandalism. On January 14, soldiers broke into the Hebron University and devastated laboratories and destroyed computers. The university was closed for 14 days. That same day, Israeli troops stormed the Polytechnic University of Hebron, closing it for three months, and the Bethlehem University, where the invaders tore up 245 books, fired tear-gas canisters and turned the university into a military outpost.
[From the Palestine Media Center, visit < http://www.palestine-A HREF="mailto:pmc.com"><pmc.com>]
From Green Left Weekly, August 6, 2003.
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