From the Liveblog of
Monday, July 29, 2024
West Bank celebrations for high school exam results canceled amid Gaza war
Gianluca Pacchiani is the Arab affairs reporter for The Times of Israel
The Palestinian Ministry of Education releases results for the high school matriculation exam, known as tawjihi, a standardized test that plays a pivotal role in determining what they can study in university.
The announcement is usually accompanied by fireworks and celebratory gunshots throughout the West Bank and East Jerusalem, where many schools teach the Palestinian Authority curriculum. In the Gaza Strip, the ruling terror group Hamas prohibited shooting in the air in celebration in recent years.
This year, however, no public festivities were held in the West Bank due to the war against Hamas in Gaza. Palestinian news agency Wafa published images of the empty streets of Ramallah and Bethlehem, an exceptional sight on this day.
Isolated celebrations reportedly took place in some parts of East Jerusalem.
Fifty thousand high school students took the exam this year in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Palestinian schools abroad, according to Ramallah’s Education Ministry. The test was canceled for 39,000 pupils in Gaza, and the ministry pledged to hold it in a special session after the war.
The Times of Israel Community.