Israel imposes curriculum on 45,000 Palestinian students in occupied Jerusalem
A class in one of Jerusalem’s 15 Palestinian Christian schools facing mounting Israeli restrictions on education and access
The Palestine Chronicle reports on 2 September 2026:
Key Developments
- More than 45,000 Palestinian students, around 38 percent of East Jerusalem’s school population, will study under the Israeli curriculum in 2026-2027.
- The Jerusalem Governorate said the expansion represents an unprecedented escalation since 1967 aimed at replacing Palestinian history and national narratives.
- Israeli authorities are also moving into former UNRWA educational complexes in Shuafat and Kafr Aqab as their control over Palestinian education expands.
Israeli Curriculum Expands Rapidly
The Jerusalem Governorate warned on Monday that Israeli occupation authorities are dramatically expanding the imposition of the Israeli curriculum on Palestinian students in occupied Jerusalem, describing the policy as an attempt to reshape the identity, memory and historical consciousness of a new generation.
The latest phase is set to begin on Tuesday with the opening of the 2026-2027 academic year and will include first- and seventh-grade students in official schools affiliated with the Israeli occupation municipality.
Jerusalem Governorate spokesman Marouf al-Rifai described the measure as a “dangerous and unprecedented escalation since 1967” in Israeli attempts to exert control over Palestinian education in the occupied city.
According to figures reported by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, 39,363 Palestinian students will study according to the Israeli curriculum during the new academic year across 105 municipal schools. Another 5,085 students will follow the curriculum in institutions classified by Israeli authorities as “recognized and unofficial.”
Together, more than 45,000 Palestinian students will therefore study under the Israeli curriculum — approximately 38 percent of the nearly 120,000 students in occupied East Jerusalem.