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Last update - 09:03 03/10/2007
Na'ima is threatening the Jewish majority
By Dafna Golan
Although the school year began on September 2, Na'ima, 9, is still at home. Not one school in the city could find a place for her. Thousands of pupils in East Jerusalem are in the same situation. A city official in late August spelled it out in a letter to the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI). Suheila Abu Ghosh, the assistant director of Manhi, the Jerusalem Education Administration, which belongs to the municipality and to the Education Ministry, wrote that "to our regret no places were found to absorb the 16 pupils who appear on the lists you enclosed with your letters, in grades two to eight." On official stationery of the municipality and the ministry, the person in charge of education admits there is no room in the schools for Jerusalem children who are legally entitled to compulsory education.

In recent weeks, the Jerusalem Education Administration has been trying to find room for the 16 children for fear ACRI would turn to the High Court of Justice. As has happened every year in recent years, the threat to petition the High Court forces the Jerusalem Municipality to pressure school principals into crowding another Palestinian child into an already crowded classroom, to find a solution for the petitioners.

At the start of school last year the education minister declared her intention of working to reduce the shortage of about 1,300 classrooms in East Jerusalem, but during the past year only 50 new classrooms were built there. Despite the commitment of the Education Ministry and the Jerusalem Municipality to the High Court, from 2001-2007, to build at least 645 classrooms in East Jerusalem (245 according to a 2001 High Court decision and 400 in the context of the promise given to the High Court this year), in fact, fewer than 100 new classrooms have been built since 2001.
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The petitions of parents whose children found no room in Jerusalem schools continue to be processed in the High Court, but the legal discussions, the focus on details, are concealing what any child can see: Jerusalem, which is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its reunification, is conducting a policy of separation.

According to the report of the Coalition for the Advancement of Arab Education in East Jerusalem, only about half the Palestinian children in East Jerusalem, about 39,400 out of about 79,000, are at present studying in the city school system. Most of the others study in private schools, in United Nations schools or outside the city. About two-thirds of the public schools in East Jerusalem operate in rented apartments. And, still, hundreds of children remain without a place in Jerusalem's schools.

During 40 years of occupation Israel built Jewish neighborhoods on Arab land in East Jerusalem, such as Gilo, French Hill, Neveh Yaakov et al, and - wonder of wonders - there are no children in these neighborhoods who have to turn to the courts in order to attend school. After all, it is unthinkable to have no room for Jewish children in the Jerusalem school system.

Jerusalem, which is now joyously celebrating the 40th anniversary of its reunification, is a divided city. The discrimination in education is part of a consistent attempt to reduce the number of Palestinian residents in the city, so as to maintain a Jewish majority. These efforts are also reflected in the demolition of homes, the confiscation of land, the confiscation of ID cards from anyone who has gone to study elsewhere, for example, and in the crowded conditions in the schools. All these are the implementation of a policy that considers Palestinians second-class citizens.

That's why there is no room for Na'ima in Jerusalem's schools. Na'ima, like thousands of other Palestinian children in Jerusalem, threatens the Jewish majority. The Israeli school system does not want Na'ima. It doesn't want Na'zz to remind it that maintaining the Jewish majority is an unethical goal. The educational policy in Jerusalem is a microcosm of the general situation in discriminatory Israel. A country that builds schools for children from one group and not from another is an apartheid state.

The writer is a member of the Law Faculty at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
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  1.   how many paleces in arab schools for jewish children ? 09:31  |  victor hardman 03/10/07
  2.   And we have been told 100000000 times that Israel is the only 09:56  |  Khalil Ishabib 03/10/07
  3.   Go to school in Gaza then 10:04  |  Malcolm Green 03/10/07
  4.   #2Khalil-ISRAEL IS THE ONLY DEMOCRACY IN A SEA OF ARAB DICTATORS 10:47  |  Mitch Iginer 03/10/07
  5.   What`s Wrong With Palestinian Schools? 11:03  |  Efox 03/10/07
  6.   re: Khalil Ishabib 11:04  |  Efox 03/10/07
  7.   How many jewish parents? #1 11:06  |  Anne 03/10/07
  8.   re: Anne 11:34  |  Efox 03/10/07
  9.   Justifying the unjustifiable 11:48  |  Murray 03/10/07
  10.   Hat off to Dafna Golan! 11:51  |  Citizen 03/10/07
  11.   #9Muray-Does your MEANINGLESS EMPTY comment make you feel better? 12:01  |  Mitch Iginer 03/10/07
  12.   # 11 Just call it racism 12:19  |  Andrew Watson 03/10/07
  13.   Low ambitions 12:34  |  Murray 03/10/07
  14.   #10 Hat not off to Citizen and to Dafna Golan 12:40  |  Hastaroth 03/10/07
  15.   Mitch...your reading skills are obviously Israeli 12:43  |  Tim 03/10/07
  16.   #12 Watson lacks elementary skills 12:44  |  Hastaroth 03/10/07
  17.   #12Andrew-OK IT`S RACISM...THAT DRIVES YOU AND MURRAY 12:45  |  Mitch Iginer 03/10/07
  18.   To Hastaroth (Contradictions?) 12:54  |  Citizen 03/10/07
  19.   Identified as a racist 13:05  |  Murray 03/10/07
  20.   To Hastaroth 13:06  |  Educator 03/10/07
  21.   fair reporting 13:07  |  Jo Jo 03/10/07
  22.   #15Tim-I`m IVY league educated,therefore you compliment Israel. 13:12  |  Mitch Iginer 03/10/07
  23.   Dafna Golan: is it language or religion? 13:14  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 03/10/07
  24.   #17 / Mitch and your comparisons... 13:51  |  Anne 03/10/07
  25.   An embarrassment 13:56  |  david 03/10/07
  26.   To all you jingoistic & apartheid fools! 14:45  |  BwanaVic 03/10/07
  27.   It is the high Arab birth rate that is the problem. 15:07  |  Robert 03/10/07
  28.   Chaval 15:21  |  Polybios 03/10/07
  29.   Efox- #5. They teach terrorism, that`s what 15:26  |  Polybios 03/10/07
  30.   Hastaroth 16:18  |  Said 03/10/07
  31.   aparthied? 16:22  |  ravi 03/10/07
  32.   sabotaging the education is a typical Israeli strategy 16:28  |  mehmet 03/10/07
  33.   #23 So called peacemaker Margie looks for fault elsewhere 16:45  |  Labhras 03/10/07
  34.   Here is another example "Equality in Democratic Israel". 16:48  |  Labhras 03/10/07
  35.   #17 Robert 16:54  |  Labhras 03/10/07
  36.   Robert from Montreal 17:01  |  Janice 03/10/07
  37.   #4, Mitch 17:16  |  Hannah 03/10/07
  38.   #11, Mitch 17:25  |  Hannah 03/10/07
  39.   #14, Hasteroth 17:32  |  Hannah 03/10/07
  40.   Another example 17:34  |  Danite 03/10/07
  41.   Tim: An Excercise in Hyperpatheticness 17:36  |  Tex 03/10/07
  42.   #17, Mitch 17:37  |  Hannah 03/10/07
  43.   Margie in tel Aviv 17:37  |  Danite 03/10/07
  44.   Democratic Israel ?? # 34 17:37  |  Bernd 03/10/07
  45.   Peace Loving Labhrass Still Avoiding Real Conflict 17:39  |  Tex 03/10/07
  46.   #26, BwanaVic 17:41  |  Hannah 03/10/07
  47.   Naima should not go to school in a country she does not recognize 17:52  |  Feiglin Supporter 03/10/07
  48.   Get your own state and get out 17:52  |  To antisemites 03/10/07
  49.   ravi and apartheid 18:05  |  cuckoo`snest 03/10/07
  50.   #36 Janice 18:07  |  Labhras 03/10/07
  51.   ravi and apartheid 18:07  |  cuckoo`snest 03/10/07
  52.   ravi apartheid is the treatment meted out to the dalits 18:11  |  cuckoo`snest 03/10/07
  53.   #45 Hi Margie.or Channah S 18:13  |  Labhras 03/10/07
  54.   #41 Tex aka Margie 18:19  |  Labhras 03/10/07
  55.   #26 Bwana Vic 18:36  |  Labhras 03/10/07
  56.   #16 Hastoroth 18:43  |  Labhras 03/10/07
  57.   Janice - just for your info. 18:44  |  Polybios 03/10/07
  58.   mehmet - it`s not a strategy. They have no strategy. 18:49  |  Polybios 03/10/07
  59.   Taxes, and loaded vocabulary 19:12  |  Scharker Yid 03/10/07
  60.   Danite 19:26  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 03/10/07
  61.   Bernd the UK has no constitution either 19:28  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 03/10/07
  62.   TO MURRAY #13 19:31  |  Steve Beikirch 03/10/07
  63.   Khalil Ishabib 20:03  |  tadchase 03/10/07
  64.   actually bwana (and what THAT name says about you!) 20:34  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 03/10/07
  65.   #38,39 A fitting subject for Lab rat`s sermons 20:41  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 03/10/07
  66.   # 8 Efox 20:49  |  christa 03/10/07
  67.   To #47. On the surface, it is simple: Naima is 9 yearts old. 20:50  |  Jozef 03/10/07
  68.   WHY ISNT THERE MONEY FROM ARAB COUNTRIES 21:09  |  TOBIA 03/10/07
  69.   high speed 21:16  |  val2002 03/10/07
  70.   reminds me of a gentleman`s comments re Arabs in the Arab world.. 21:18  |  Tess 03/10/07
  71.   Tess - how many... 21:27  |  Polybios 03/10/07
  72.   #50 Labhras 21:30  |  Janice 03/10/07
  73.   tadchase #63 21:32  |  Polybios 03/10/07
  74.   victor hardman - What arab palaces? 21:32  |  YOU IDIOT! 03/10/07
  75.   "65 Tex aka Margie the so called peace maker. 21:35  |  Labhras 03/10/07
  76.   # 61 The UK ....Margie 21:40  |  Bernd 03/10/07
  77.   Tobia from NY #68 21:41  |  Richelle 03/10/07
  78.   #60 Tex Aka Margie the So called peace make 21:45  |  Labhras 03/10/07
  79.   #60 Margie in Tel Aviv 21:54  |  Labhras 03/10/07
  80.   Evidence here that peace talks are a joke. Israelis want time to 21:56  |  Apartheid 03/10/07
  81.   Polybios.... 21:58  |  Tess 03/10/07
  82.   #72 Janice 22:05  |  Labhras 03/10/07
  83.   Polybios.... on other misunderstanding... 22:09  |  Tess 03/10/07
  84.   Labhras who devises meaningless `tests` 22:28  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 03/10/07
  85.   Racist assumptions 22:29  |  Anti-segregation 03/10/07
  86.   no excuse for racism 22:34  |  david 03/10/07
  87.   #74 a self confessed idiot writes to me 23:15  |  victor hardman 03/10/07
  88.   #34 and #35 23:27  |  Robert 03/10/07
  89.   #77 Richille 23:49  |  Tobia 03/10/07
  90.   Where are you, Yuli? 23:52  |  Esther 03/10/07
  91.   Polybios 00:18  |  tadchase 04/10/07
  92.   CORRECT ME IF WRONG 00:22  |  TOBIA 04/10/07
  93.   #84 So called peace maker Margie Aka Tex 00:27  |  Labhras 04/10/07
  94.   Labhras 00:32  |  Janice 04/10/07
  95.   #88 Robert 01:08  |  Labhras 04/10/07
  96.   # 94 Janice. 01:21  |  Labhras 04/10/07
  97.   Educaror & Hastaroth 01:24  |  Yesh! 04/10/07
  98.   Victor hardman 01:30  |  Truth 04/10/07
  99.   Thank you, Jo Jo, 01:37  |  JH 04/10/07
  100.   Palestinian academic advancement 01:58  |  Yesh! 04/10/07
  101.   #9 Murray - Milan "Hello Again" 02:24  |  * BEN JABO 04/10/07
  102.   #11 Mitch Igner 02:28  |  * BEN JABO 04/10/07
  103.   #12 Watson - Australia 02:32  |  * BEN JABO 04/10/07
  104.   #25 David - Royal Oak 02:35  |  * BEN JABO 04/10/07
  105.   Labhras right as usual 02:39  |  Janice 04/10/07
  106.   Margie (#64) - stop calling people names. 03:16  |  BwanaVic 04/10/07
  107.   I could once say 03:21  |  Mark Lincoln 04/10/07
  108.   Mark Lincoln #102 - By the same token 04:13  |  dana 04/10/07
  109.   Immigrants Versus Indigenous People 04:40  |  Janet 04/10/07
  110.   Dafna Golan and Haaretz: you can help end the occupation 05:39  |  nobodysacred 04/10/07
  111.   # 14 go watch israely immigration/emmiration numbers 06:42  |  Kris 04/10/07
  112.   Mitch, Mitch, Mitch 06:53  |  Denise 04/10/07
  113.   Special Message for Labhrass 07:38  |  Tex 04/10/07
  114.   a little context, please 07:45  |  Diane 04/10/07
  115.   # 4 Malcolm Green 07:58  |  Nick Ferriman 04/10/07
  116.   # 9 Murray. I concur 08:04  |  Nick Ferriman 04/10/07
  117.   #109 janet the uninformed posts a plea 08:07  |  victor hardman 04/10/07
  118.   # 16 Hastaroth. 08:10  |  Nick Ferriman 04/10/07
  119.   # 105 Ben Jabo 08:18  |  Nick Ferriman 04/10/07
  120.   Advice to Yuli Tamir 08:49  |  Dafna 04/10/07
  121.   #118 ferriman and relevance miles apart as usual 09:02  |  victor hardman 04/10/07
  122.   Bwana! 09:20  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 04/10/07
  123.   Lab rat answer my question 09:24  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 04/10/07
  124.   #30 To Said who thinks he is Greek 09:29  |  Hastaroth 04/10/07
  125.   Huge families the problem 09:31  |  sweis Melbourne 04/10/07
  126.   Dafna with Imperialist Land Grabbing Surname ,a question : 10:00  |  Absolute Sweden 04/10/07
  127.   So, if the Arabs get all they want... 10:07  |  MaryRose 04/10/07
  128.   Lab rat answer my question 10:24  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 04/10/07
  129.   About the level of honesty and objectivity on this talkback 10:46  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 04/10/07
  130.   Bernd in Deutschland 10:47  |  roland 04/10/07
  131.   sweis Melbourne 10:56  |  Anne 04/10/07
  132.   #119 Ferriman 11:40  |  * BEN JABO 04/10/07
  133.   Naima is John Coltrane 13:01  |  Fritz 04/10/07
  134.   # 130, what a nonsense 13:05  |  Fritz 04/10/07
  135.   Discrimination of Scientology? Ridiculous. 13:48  |  Gray 04/10/07
  136.   About your lack of reading skills, Margie.. 13:56  |  Gray 04/10/07
  137.   Huge Jewish families no problem 14:04  |  Gray 04/10/07
  138.   Efox the Idiot 14:54  |  Golda 04/10/07
  139.   Na`ima and Palestinian pupils 15:45  |  A Jerusalem Teacher 04/10/07
  140.   Advice to the Jewish people 17:20  |  Simon 04/10/07
  141.   Money from Arab Countries - No68 18:48  |  Palestinian Brit 04/10/07
  142.   Racist assumptions - No85. 18:53  |  Palestinian Brit 04/10/07
  143.   Gray: It`s your reading skills that need attention 19:17  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 04/10/07
  144.   Why A Jewish State is Bad 19:41  |  Patrick 04/10/07
  145.   More apartheid 19:45  |  Mitch Cohen 04/10/07
  146.   Dear Dafna Golan 19:48  |  Dave 04/10/07
  147.   "Jewish majority" fervor could be put to better use 21:51  |  5th generation 04/10/07
  148.   Loathing? 145 21:55  |  Palestinian Brit 04/10/07
  149.   mehmet - sabotaging 22:37  |  David Israel 04/10/07
  150.   To Victor Hardman #2 22:42  |  Otto Rand 04/10/07
  151.   To Efox 22:48  |  Otto Rand 04/10/07
  152.   To Efox again 22:51  |  Otto Rand 04/10/07
  153.   ISRAEL IS A DEMOCRACY-FULL STOP- THE PEOPLE CHOOSE THE GOV`T 22:53  |  Bom Bell 04/10/07
  154.   To Murray of Milan 22:54  |  Otto Rand 04/10/07
  155.   Now, now, now Margie, cool your jets..... 22:59  |  BwanaVic 04/10/07
  156.   To Hastaroth in Athens 23:02  |  Otto Rand 04/10/07
  157.   Roland, are you nuts? 23:03  |  Wiktor 04/10/07
  158.   To Hastaroth again 23:05  |  Otto Rand 04/10/07
  159.   To Bom Bell 23:09  |  Otto Rand 04/10/07
  160.   5th generation idiot! (#146) 23:13  |  Wiktor 04/10/07
  161.   Amazing to find apopogists for racism 23:47  |  david 04/10/07
  162.   re: Golda 23:55  |  Efox 04/10/07
  163.   re: Otto Rand 23:59  |  Efox 04/10/07
  164.   #119-2 Ferriman - I`m rather concerned 00:01  |  * BEN JABO 05/10/07
  165.   re: Polybios 00:02  |  Efox 05/10/07
  166.   #139 A Jerusalem Teacher 00:03  |  * BEN JABO 05/10/07
  167.   #154 Otto Rand - Mexico 00:09  |  * BEN JABO 05/10/07
  168.   #151 Otto Rand to E. Fox 00:13  |  * BEN JABO 05/10/07
  169.   #145 Mitch Cohen (try using your real name) 00:16  |  * BEN JABO 05/10/07
  170.   #156 Otto Rand - Mexico 00:19  |  * BEN JABO 05/10/07
  171.   Schools for all 02:33  |  Neil 05/10/07
  172.   #171 Neil - Auckland 03:00  |  * BEN JABO 05/10/07
  173.   #128 So called peace making Margue 03:29  |  Labhras 05/10/07
  174.   Come on Ben Jabo 05:01  |  Janice 05/10/07
  175.   re #153 `ISRAEL IS A DEMOCRACY. FULL STOP.` 05:10  |  Colin Wright 05/10/07
  176.   To Ben Jabo 06:08  |  Otto Rand 05/10/07
  177.   #144 Yes,Patrick,I agree 08:54  |  Hastaroth 05/10/07
  178.   Hannah the hag 12:54  |  Petra 05/10/07
  179.   Bwana Vic claen your own mess up before you criticize 13:01  |  Petra 05/10/07
  180.   I completely agree David Israel 13:02  |  mehmet 05/10/07
  181.   Murray the Milan Merchant of mental illness 13:09  |  Petra 05/10/07
  182.   EFox #6 TOUCHE` 13:10  |  Petra 05/10/07
  183.   #174 Janice - we both know 17:21  |  * BEN JABO 05/10/07
  184.   #176 Otto Rand 17:25  |  * BEN JABO 05/10/07
  185.   #160: what are you talking about? Re-read the post (#147 not 146) 19:45  |  5th generation 05/10/07
  186.   #145 5th Generation 00:37  |  * BEN JABO 06/10/07
  187.   Keep dreaming BEN JABO 03:07  |  Janice 06/10/07
  188.   #187 Janice - your just another one 05:27  |  * BEN JABO 06/10/07
  189.   # 164 Ben Jabo - I am concerned too! 07:00  |  Nick Ferriman 06/10/07
  190.   # 188 Ben Jabo. Propaganda or poor history? 07:33  |  Nick Ferriman 06/10/07
  191.   Ignorants! 14:30  |  Shatha 06/10/07
  192.   #47, feiglin 15:02  |  Shatha 06/10/07
  193.   Nick Ferriman 17:29  |  * BEN JABO 06/10/07
  194.   children caught in middle 19:12  |  Lindsay 06/10/07
  195.   BEN JABO using the same tired slur 19:53  |  Janice 06/10/07
  196.   All the children 23:22  |  miriam g .harel 06/10/07
  197.   #190 2ND TRY Ferriman - 01:31  |  * BEN JABO 07/10/07
  198.   #195 Janice - using the pretense of being Jewish 03:13  |  * BEN JABO 07/10/07
  199.   # 197 Ben Jabo 06:49  |  Nick Ferriman 07/10/07
  200.   #199 Ferriman 17:04  |  * BEN JABO 07/10/07
  201.   Ben Jabo 17:46  |  Nick Ferriman 07/10/07
  202.   #201 Ferriman - Of course I check it 01:23  |  * BEN JABO 09/10/07
  203.   #201-2 Ferriman 01:24  |  * BEN JABO 09/10/07
  204.   #201-3 Ferriman 16:38  |  * BEN JABO 09/10/07
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