Israel’s war on education: The battle to preserve a future under siege

This Article was originally written by Sundos Hammad for TRT World, and it was Published in September 7, 2024.

In 2000, as a nine-year-old living through the Second Intifada, I came to understand the profound connection between education and survival under occupation.

Each morning, going to my primary school in al-Bireh city in the occupied West Bank, was an act of defiance.

Israeli tanks were stationed near the gate of my school, and by the end of the day, children as young as myself would throw stones at the soldiers occupying a nearby settlement.

The soldiers responded with live bullets. Terrified going back home, I questioned why we as Palestinian children had to endure such daily risks, but my mother always insisted: “Education is not an option. It’s your future, and the future of your generation.”

Today, that future is looking grim.

For more than 335 days, over two million Palestinians have been denied their basic rights to life and existence amid relentless Israeli aggression.

Amidst the genocide in Gaza and while students around the world prepare for the start of the new academic year, the education system in Palestine has become a casualty of war.

Schools in Gaza have been targeted and bombed out of existence, while made into shelters for displaced people. Still, amid this adversity, the school bag was turned into a survival bag.

I remember watching a short video of this very young girl who decided to carry her books in the bag as she fled her home, saying with a bright look: “I saved my books.”,,

We built these universities from tents. And from tents, with the support of our friends, we will rebuild them once again.

In May of this year, Gaza universities issued a statement affirming their existence and collective determination to resume teaching in Gaza at their own institutions, despite the destruction of the higher education sector by Israeli forces.

Resisting the ongoing scholasticide, they declared: “We built these universities from tents. And from tents, with the support of our friends, we will rebuild them once again.”

Education paralysed

Since October 7, 2023, Israel has killed at least 10,490 students, and injured 16,700 more, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education.

More than 500 schoolteachers and university scholars have also been killed, and over 600,000 primary and secondary school students remain denied their right to an education, along with over 88,000 university students.

Seventeen higher education institutions in Gaza have been left paralysed, either partially or completely destroyed in bombings, and two thirds of Gaza schools have been targeted while being used as shelters by displaced people.

Meanwhile, in the occupied West Bank, the spectre of occupation looms large, forcing 34 higher education institutions to pivot to distance learning for months due to escalating violations, more restrictions on movement and settler violence.

Palestinian students and academics are constantly targeted by the Israeli military, whether in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem or refugee camps.

Their activism is criminalised, their right to movement is restricted, their universities being raided, and their academic freedom is being denied.

More than 2,500 students from Birzeit University in the occupied West Bank have been imprisoned since 1982, with over 140 still being imprisoned.

More than 70 of these students were detained after October 7, 2023, including six female students, and four university academics and staff members. Most remain under administrative detention, held indefinitely without charge.

Ignorance as an ally

This brings us to a very vital question: why is education in Palestine being systematically targeted?

When it comes to maintaining the status quo of Israeli settler colonialism in Palestine, ignorance serves as a potent ally, enabling the imposition of dominant narratives. Education on the other hand emerges as a main pillar of resistance, resilience, indigenous empowerment and liberation.

The ongoing destruction of Gaza’s education system highlights the gravity of this calculated assault, which scholars now refer to as “scholasticide.” This term coined by Oxford professor Karma Nabulsi during the 2008-2009 Israeli assault on Gaza encapsulates the deliberate destruction of education in Palestine.

This strategy, part of a broader colonial policy, aims not only to stifle the physical infrastructure of learning, but also to annihilate the intellectual growth of a people.

Education is systematically attacked because it represents a form of resistance for Palestinians. It is the means through which Palestinians can challenge dominant colonial narratives, preserve their history and identity, and empower future generations.

Phoenix from the ashes

Despite the systematic attacks on their education system, Palestinians remain resolute in their pursuit of knowledge.

So for Palestinians, there exists a dual narrative when it comes to education. On one hand, it is an act of resistance. It is not just a fight for academic freedom, but a struggle for existence.

Palestinians continue to believe in the transformative power of learning. Their resilience, often referred to as Sumud, is what keeps them moving forward. Education is a cornerstone of Palestinian identity, one that is deeply tied to the pursuit of self-determination.

On the other hand, education has been weaponised by the occupation to subjugate and control the Palestinian population. This reinforces the Israeli occupation’s dominance and perpetuates its colonial agenda.

Today, Israel’s assault on education extends beyond the physical destruction of schools. It attacks intellectual development, cultural heritage, and future leadership.

In Gaza, the destruction of schools and higher education institutions, represents not just the loss of buildings but the obliteration of decades of progress. Killing educators and scholars demonstrates how deeply this attack on knowledge goes.

The occupation not only targets Palestinian life, but also seeks to dismantle its future by silencing those who could lead the way.

Yet, in the face of such brutality, the Palestinian people continue to rise, like the phoenix from the ashes.

As the Palestinian people continue to advocate for their rights, it is crucial that the global community supports their efforts, amplifies their voices, and demands accountability for the war crimes being committed against them. Palestinians’ resolve reflects an unwavering commitment to not only survive, but to thrive through education.