Israel Attempting to Close Hebron-Area Schools, Orphanages Serving 7,000 Palestinian Children

Fourteen Hebron-area schools and orphanages, which serve approximately 7000 Palestinian children and orphans, today face the threat of closure by the Israeli army, Eight of these schools and orphanages belong to the Islamic Charitable Society, while the remaining six belong to the Muslim Youth Society.

On 25 February 2008, the Israeli military commander of the West Bank, General Gadi Shamni, issued a military order confiscating all properties located in Hebron that belong to these Islamic societies, including schools, stores, centres and residential houses. According to Palestinian security sources, in the past month the Israeli army conducted an intensive military operation in the city of Hebron, ransacking several offices, schools and properties of these societies. On 26 February the army invaded several buildings while damaging gates and furniture and stealing food, notebooks, books, clothes and computers. On 6 May the Israeli army attacked a store on Hebron’s El-Hawooz Street, where the Islamic Charitable Society collected clothes and personal items for the orphans.

According to Abdul-Kareem Farrah, the information advisor to the Islamic Charitable Society, these Israeli thefts and damages cost approximately NIS 1 million.

The original military order indicated that the schools and orphanages would be closed as of 1 April 2008. However, after the governor of Hebron, Hussain al-A’raj, expressing his astonishment at the order and requested the Israeli authorities to revoke it, and after the lawyer Osama Hallabi petitioned the Israeli High Court in this matter, the order was postponed for one week. On the morning of 2 April, school officials received word that the Israeli High Court had given the Israeli army four days to provide full justification for the closure and evacuation of the schools and orphanages. On 3 April the attorney for the Islamic Charitable Society was informed that the Israeli High Court will rule in this matter on Monday 7 April. Today. More