EU commissioner condemns demolition of school by Israel in West Bank

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA) - The top EU crisis management official on Friday condemned the demolition of a school by Israel in the occupied West Bank, reminding that education facilities are protected under international humanitarian law (IHL).

"I condemn the demolition by Israel of a school in Khallet Amera in the West Bank," Janez Lenarcic, EU commissioner for crisis management, said on X. "Depriving children of their right to education is unacceptable."

"Education facilities are protected by IHL," Lenarcic added.

He noted that the EU was among the donors funding the school, which was providing education to vulnerable children.

He stressed that this incident is part of a larger trend of demolitions in the West Bank, including schools, homes, and other structures, and said: "At the current rate, 2024 looks set to see the highest number of demolitions of Palestinian structures in the West Bank since records started."

"There is zero ambiguity in IHL: such demolitions and the forced displacement of civilians in occupied territory are illegal under international law," he warned.

Tension has been running high in the occupied West Bank amid a deadly Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, which killed nearly 38,300 people since Oct. 7, 2023.

At least 573 Palestinians, including at least 133 children, have since been killed and nearly 5,350 others injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied territory, according to Gaza Health Ministry.

Israel stands accused of “genocide” at the International Court of Justice, which, in its latest ruling, has ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its military operation in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.