US alarmed by Israeli demolition of Palestinian school in West Bank

Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief

The school in Ein Samiya, near the West Bank city of Ramallah, August 12, 2022. (Flash90)
The school in Ein Samiya, near the West Bank city of Ramallah, August 12, 2022. (Flash90)

The US Office of Palestinian Affairs says that it’s “deeply concerned by reports that Israel demolished a Palestinian school in the West Bank community of Ein Samiya” northeast of Ramallah.

“Demolitions and the displacement of Palestinians from their communities exacerbate tensions and threaten the two-state solution,” the diplomatic office writes on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Israel demolished the school, which was funded by the European Union, last week on the grounds that it was built without the necessary permits. Palestinians say they are forced to build illegally as Israel almost exclusively reserves permits in Area C of the West Bank for settlers.

Earlier this year, the remaining Bedouin residents of Ein Samiya fled the village following years of intimidation and violence from settlers in nearby illegal outposts.

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