Subscribe to Print Edition | Sun., August 24, 2008 Av 23, 5768 | | Israel Time: 17:35 (EST+7)
Haaretz israel news English
web haaretz.com
  Back to Homepage
Rosner's Domain
Diplomacy
Defense Jewish World Opinion National
Print Edition
Car Rental
Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File
Last update - 14:49 24/08/2008
School year off to a shaky start in Gaza, as teachers protest Hamas control
By Haaretz Service
Tags: gaza, palestinian authority 

The Palestinian Authority education system opened the 2008-2009 school year on Sunday, with approximately 250,000 children expected to attend classes.

In Gaza, the new school year got off to a shaky start, as teachers loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas declared a five day work-stoppage.

Teachers' Union Secretary-General Jameel Shehada said the strike was to protest "the actions Hamas took against the teachers."
Advertisement
He said Hamas police took over the building belonging to the Palestine Liberation Organization-affiliated Teachers' Union, fired some employees of the education ministry, and transferred some teachers to remote schools.

Hamas interior ministry official Mohammed Abu Shuqair said in reply that the takeover of the building was not connected to the
"education process," while the teachers were moved because of a
"legal procedure."

Hamas is expected to appoint its own teachers to replace those who went on the strike. The movement has already appointed Hamas loyalists as headmasters in most schools.

Students in Gaza last week also learned that there is a shortage of school supplies in the coastal Strip. Despite the Egyptian-brokered truce between Israel and Hamas that went into effect in June, few goods, apart from humanitarian necessities, have been allowed to enter Gaza.

On June 19, 2008, pursuant to the truce, Israel decided to expand the list of goods allowed into the Strip. But since no formal government decision was ever made about which items would be sanctioned, items that pose no apparent security risk are still prevented from entering the Strip .

Anwar al-Qazaz, 41, had sent one of his sons to the market to buy school supplies for his younger sisters. "He returned home with his sisters and told me there was nothing. No pens and pencils, no notebooks, and no school uniforms," Qazaz told Haaretz last week. He added that he could buy the necessary products from Egypt, but that would significantly increase the cost.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) also runs schools within the Palestinian Territories, and classes there are scheduled to begin in September.

Related articles:
  • Middle-class Palestinian parents can't wait for school
  • Despite truce, school supplies do not reach the Gaza Strip
  • PA orders West Bank schools, charities closed due to suspected Hamas ties
    • Bookmark to del.icio.us  
     
    Nail in the coffin?
    Haniyeh: Arrival of blockade-busting boats spells end of Gaza siege.
    Operation Shalit
    Islamic Jihad urges Palestinian groups to kidnap Israeli soldiers.
      1.   Educated Gazans pose a threat 14:39  |  Palestinian Brit 24/08/08
      2.   I guess the teachers not belonging to Hamas 17:04  |  Lynn 24/08/08
      3.   Hamas list of school supplies 17:30  |  Akiva P 24/08/08
     Read & React
    Islamic Jihad urges Palestinian groups to kidnap Israeli soldiers
    Responses: 41
    Arab League chief praises activists who challenged Gaza siege
    Responses: 99
    Israel's missile shield against Iran: Three Americans in a trailer
    Responses: 45
    Natasha Mozgovaya: Obama played it safe, but is Biden good for Israel?
    Responses: 48
    Haredi rabbis: Renew ban on Jews entering Temple Mount
    Responses: 26
    Rosner's Domain
    One State solution? Let the debate begin
    What killed the campaign for Darfur?
    Better chances for a Lieberman VP?
    Poll: Who will be better as leader of the Kadima Party?


    More Headlines
    13:27 Israel to free 199 jailed Palestinians on Monday
    08:36 Israel's missile shield against Iran: Three Americans in a trailer
    15:26 Arab League chief praises activists who challenged Gaza siege
    12:07 Police close Islamic institute suspected of aiding Hamas
    17:29 Iran building second nuclear plant, says top Iranian official
    15:29 Biden has 'solid pro-Israel record,' says head of Jewish Democratic group
    15:21 43 years after Israel banned the Beatles, Paul McCartney to play Tel Aviv
    16:53 Assad: Next round of Syria-Israel talks will be 'decisive'
    15:14 Olympics / Israel finishes sixth in rhythmic gymnastics finals
    14:14 Haredi rabbis: Renew ban on Jews entering Temple Mount
    14:58 Barak notifies comptroller: My wife's firm is officially closed
    11:28 State offers weeks-long training to relieve shortage of English teachers
    12:43 Police arrest crime boss Abergil upon U.S. extradition request
    14:45 Vandals paint 11 swastikas on Berlin Holocaust memorial
    14:06 Olmert: It's a shame Barak is not interested in the defense budget
    Previous Editions
    Special Offers
    Advertisement
    Fattal Hotel Chain
    Perfectly located hotels on best resorts of Israel.
    Jewish Singles Personal Ads
    Find the love of your life on JDate.com
    MBA in Israel in English
    APPLY NOW! Limited spaces available
    Israel's Premier Real Estate Website
    www. israel-property.com
    Hebrew Summer courses
    From $39.95
    ISRAEL BONDS Build Israel
    Israel bonds - a multi-purpose way to celebrate Israel's 60th
    Eldan Rent a Car
    Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on all online reservations
    Junkyard
    Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt
    Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | Underground | Site rules |
    Real Estate in Israel | Travel to Israel with Haaretz | Hotels Israel | Restaurants Israel | Tourist attractions Israel | Shops Israel
    birthright Israel | Search engine marketing
    Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.
    © Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved