This is not a picutre I have taken. It is a picture I have been shown today; one among many others of various places in the West Bank. This is the only school in the village of Susiya. The only school for miles actually. It opened in late 2010 therby enabling students to live with their own families, rather than travelling many kilometres to attend another school, and needing to live with distant relatives.
It is one of about 30 different buildings in the village which has a demolition order over it. It was, in fact, due to be demolished today. By the Israeli authorities, who, it appears don't want a school on this site. I haven't been able to ascertain if it was demolished today, or not. The Israeli authorities wouldn't give planning permission for it. Nor the other structures, belonging to the dirt poor Palesinian community which have built them, which also have demolition orders hanging over them: homes, caves, animal shelters, water cisterns, a mosque. But they would give planning permission to neighbouring Israeli communities - within view are the substantial red roofs of the all Jewish settlement of the same name, with bulldozers clearly seen on the outskirts... creating all the time, not destroying.
It seems that Israel is the 3rd top country in the world for demolishing schools. 3rd only to Burma (1) and Afghanistan (2).
The Headmaster has said : "I am trying to comprehend: what would Israel accomplish by demolishing
our school? What is the position of Israel’s Education Minister? What do
Israeli teachers think? How will they explain to their own students the
destruction of our little school at Susiya?"
The main trouble is that they won't even tell their own students about the treatment of Palestinian schools... if they did they wouldn't be able to get away with it.
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