A directive issued by the Israeli Ministry of Education threatens to bar hundreds of Christian Palestinian teachers from working in Jerusalem’s historic Church-run schools.
Letters sent to school principals stipulate that, from September, teaching staff must both reside in Jerusalem and hold Israeli-recognised qualifications. In practice, the measure excludes Christian educators living in the West Bank, many of whom have for years commuted under a permit system that allowed them to work in the city’s 15 Christian schools.
