CPT Palestine accompanies children in the Al-Khalil H2 area as they go to school. There are eleven schools, three kindergartens, and a medical center in this area of the Old City. CPT monitors Qitoun Checkpoint (209) and Salaymeh Checkpoint (29), and Mafia Checkpoint during Jewish holidays.
Introduction
From January until May, CPT documented the Israeli military’s escalating violence against students and schools in the area. The Israeli military regularly fired tear gas and sound grenades directly at children, school compounds, and civilians. There was also a teachers’ strike against the Palestinian government’s salary cuts, which negatively affected students’ learning.
CPT noticed that greater violence from Israeli soldiers would often coincide with Jewish holidays and Ramadan. Teachers and students faced many challenges this semester. In a conversation with the principal of the Faihaa school, she noted, “Even during the strike, we always try to be at the schools around 7:00am because we want to be there if anything happens to any girl while they are crossing the checkpoint.”
