UN: Children of Palestine deserve security, not just education

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Days of Palestine – Ramallah

“The children of Palestine deserve safety and security, not just education,” said the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Lynne Hastings.

She added in a statement today, Monday, on the occasion of the resumption of the new school year for school students, that “two million and 200 thousand children are returning to their schools in Palestine… they deserve security, safety, and hope.”

She stressed that children not only have the right to a safe education but should be given special protection under international human rights law, given their particular weaknesses.

She pointed out that since the beginning of 2021, a total of 79 Palestinian children have been reported killed and 1,269 others wounded by Israeli forces.

She said that 67 children were killed in the Gaza Strip during the recent state of escalation (10-21 May). Another child was killed in June due to the explosive remnants of the war with the Israeli occupation, adding that the forces were killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, 11 children, 584 others were wounded, and 24 injured by settlers.

And it indicated that: “Starting in June, 225 Palestinian children were detained in Israeli detention centers,” accusing the occupation of “responsibility for protecting children and teachers from harassment and violence perpetrated by settlers on their way to and from schools.”

On Sunday, the Palestinian Authority announced the return to school education to be fully public, according to health and preventive conditions and protocols, in light of the spread of the Coronavirus.