Raiding Kafr Aqab Schools: Escalation in the Battle of Curricula and Identity

In a new escalatory step, the extremist Israeli Knesset member Tzvi Sukkot, head of the Knesset Education Committee, recently raided the vicinity of Kafr Aqab schools north of occupied Jerusalem, in an operation described as provocative, accompanied by an intense military presence. This raid came in the context of a campaign led by Sukkot to cut financial aid to educational institutions that teach Palestinian curricula, accusing them of "inciting terrorism."Details of the Raid and ThreatsSukkot, a member of the far-right "Religious Zionism" party, raided the town of Kafr Aqab on the morning of Thursday, June 18, 2026, under tight protection from occupation forces, while detaining Al-Doha school students and preventing them from leaving simultaneously with the raid. During this, Sukkot sent a message in Arabic to the school administrators, threatening to cut funding and close any school that does not adhere to the Israeli curriculum.According to Sukkot's statements, "educational institutions in Kafr Aqab receive budgets amounting to tens of millions of shekels from Israel, but in practice, they teach students content from the Palestinian Authority that encourages incitement to terrorism," as he claimed. He added: "We came today to make it clear that the party is over. Anyone who incites terrorism and encourages support for terrorists must be immediately closed, and certainly should not receive a single shekel from the state." In his words.Political Context and DimensionsThis raid comes as part of a broader campaign led by Sukkot against Arab educational institutions in Jerusalem and the West Bank, with the aim of imposing full Israeli sovereignty over the educational system in areas classified within East Jerusalem. This campaign coincides with a broader Israeli plan to establish an "educational complex" in Kafr Aqab, which official Palestinian institutions have warned against, considering it an attempt to undermine the role of these schools and their counterparts affiliated with the UNRWA and to impose a new educational reality that serves the Israeli agenda.Curriculum and Funding IssuesThe controversy surrounding Palestinian curricula in Jerusalem schools raises complex legal and political issues. On the one hand, Kafr Aqab schools are located within areas administratively controlled by Israel, but they are administratively and educationally affiliated with the Palestinian Authority in several aspects. On the other hand, the Israeli side believes that funding schools that teach a curriculum that does not recognize the Israeli narrative constitutes a contradiction, while Palestinians consider this measure an infringement on national identity and the right to education.Tzvi Sukkot's raid on Kafr Aqab schools and his threat to cut financial aid represent a new link in a series of Israeli measures aimed at imposing control over Palestinian educational institutions in Jerusalem. This step carries serious implications for the future of education in the region, amid escalating tension between the Palestinian national narrative and attempts to impose the Israeli curriculum, which portends further escalation in the conflict over identity and institutions in occupied Jerusalem.The Educational Scene in JerusalemThe raid by Knesset member Sukkot on Kafr Aqab schools cannot be understood in isolation from the broader context of Palestinian education in Jerusalem, which is witnessing a systematic and methodical campaign aimed at undermining it and imposing the Israeli alternative. What happened in Kafr Aqab is not an isolated event, but a link in a continuous chain of Israeli policies targeting the educational institution in all its dimensions: infrastructure, curricula, funding, and identity.Infrastructure CrisisThe education sector in East Jerusalem suffers from a severe shortage of schools and classrooms. According to a 2025 report by the Israeli organization "Ir Amim," the Israeli Ministry of Education itself acknowledged a shortage of 1,461 classrooms in East Jerusalem. Although the Israeli authorities plan to build 1,204 new classrooms by 2029, this figure does not take into account the annual population growth of 2.5%, nor the shortage resulting from the closure of UNRWA schools that housed hundreds of students.More problematic is that the occupation authorities place obstacles in the way of Palestinians wishing to build new schools, as the process of obtaining the necessary building permits takes between 10 to 15 years, not to mention the exorbitant costs of these permits. This means that the shortage of classrooms is not a result of neglect, but a deliberate policy aimed at tightening the noose on the Palestinian educational institution.Imposing the Israeli Curriculum: The War on IdentityThe battle over curricula is at the heart of the educational conflict in Jerusalem. The pluralism witnessed in the city's educational system reflects a state of conflict and division, with multiple educational tracks: an authentic Palestinian curriculum, a Palestinian curriculum distorted by the occupation authorities (by deleting texts and replacing them with others), an Israeli curriculum (Bagrut), and international educational systems.Israel is systematically working to tighten the noose on the Palestinian curriculum. In recent years, it has succeeded in deleting many materials after reprinting them, and this year it escalated its pace after withdrawing the permanent license from 6 schools in Jerusalem in July 2024, granting them a temporary license for one year, under the pretext of "incitement in textbooks." The decision included "Ibrahimieh College" and "Al-Iman Schools" in all their branches in Beit Hanina.The Israeli Ministry of Education demanded "correction of Palestinian curricula" and sent copies of books it considered "inciting," including lessons about Palestinian prisoners, the Israeli army preventing ambulances from reaching the injured, the water crisis, and lessons related to the Nakba in 1948. In parallel, Israel allocated 215 million shekels in its educational plan for Jerusalem for the period 2024-2028 to promote the policy of "Israelization" of educational curricula.Closure of UNRWA Schools: A Devastating BlowIn May 2025, Israel implemented the decision to close the schools of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in East Jerusalem. This decision affected more than 650 students in Shuafat refugee camp alone, who are now facing an unknown educational future. Alternative schools are located outside the camp, behind Israeli military checkpoints, making going to them a daily adventure fraught with risks.This step comes as part of a broader campaign aimed at ending UNRWA's role in Jerusalem, which the Palestinian National Authority has warned against, considering it an attempt to undermine the agency's role and impose a new educational reality that serves the Israeli agenda.Implications for Identity and FutureThe Royal Hashemite Committee for Jerusalem Affairs warns that these policies are part of a systematic campaign aimed at "Judaizing" and "Israelizing" educational institutions, and imposing an Israeli vision of Palestinian history, identity, and culture. Since October 7, 2023, the far-right Israeli government has treated the "Israelization" of education as a national security priority, accompanied by the disruption of educational activities through the arrest of teachers and students, the establishment of checkpoints, and the construction of the separation wall.The Palestinian Ministry of Education denied rumors about curriculum changes, affirming its commitment to UNESCO standards, and that what is being circulated is based on distorted models by the occupation in textbooks used in Jerusalem schools. However, the official denial does not change the reality that thousands of Jerusalemite students live in a state of uncertainty, between a curriculum stripped of its content, schools closing their doors, and funding threatened with cuts.Conclusion:What the education sector in Jerusalem has witnessed, from Sukkot's raid on Kafr Aqab schools to the closure of UNRWA schools and the imposition of distorted curricula, paints a bleak picture for the future of Palestinian education in the Holy City. The battle is not just a battle of curricula or funding, but a battle of existence and identity, for which children and students who find themselves at the heart of a conflict for which they are not to blame are paying the price. The question remains: how far will Israel go in its campaign against Palestinian education, and will the international community find enough will to protect these children's right to education, as guaranteed by international conventions?*Head of the Education File in the National Popular Conference for Jerusalem