East Jerusalem private schools strike over restrictions on teachers from West Bank

Dozens of private schools in East Jerusalem have gone on strike and have not opened for the new school year, in protest over what they say is Israel’s failure to allow teachers from the West Bank to enter East Jerusalem to work at the schools.

The strike is set to continue until further notice. Municipal schools in East Jerusalem opened as usual today.

The striking schools serve some 15,000 students, according to data from Ir Amim, an organization that monitors developments in East Jerusalem. Many are Christian schools run by churches and other Christian institutions. The institutions are considered prestigious within Arab society in Israel, and particularly in Jerusalem.

Over the past three years, since the October 7 massacre carried out by Hamas in southern Israel, there have been increasing reports of difficulties faced by Palestinian teachers from the West Bank seeking to enter Jerusalem for work, amid sweeping restrictions on the issuance and renewal of entry permits for West Bank residents. In early January 2026, several private schools in East Jerusalem held a one-day strike to protest the failure to renew permits for teachers who live in the West Bank.

A law that took effect in February 2026 bars holders of degrees from Palestinian Authority institutions of higher education from being authorized to work as teachers in Israeli schools, including private schools. However, the law exempts teachers who were already employed before it took effect, as well as those who had completed at least one year of their degree studies before the law came into force.