Israel will impose its curriculum on more than 45,000 Palestinian students in occupied East Jerusalem during the 2026-27 academic year, a Palestinian official said Monday, warning that the move targets the national and cultural identity of generations of Palestinians in the city.
Jerusalem Governorate spokesperson Maarouf al-Rifai said the Israeli curriculum will be imposed on all new classes opening Tuesday in Israeli-run municipal schools in East Jerusalem, including first and seventh grades.
He described the decision as a "dangerous and unprecedented escalation since 1967" and a direct targeting of the national and cultural identity of Palestinian students in Jerusalem.
Al-Rifai said the measure forms part of a "systematic policy" targeting Palestinian education in Jerusalem and seeking to replace the Palestinian curriculum with the Israeli narrative.
Citing figures published by Israeli newspaper Haaretz, he said 39,363 Palestinian students at 105 municipal schools will study the Israeli curriculum during the new academic year, along with 5,085 students at institutions classified as "recognized but unofficial."
The total exceeds 45,000 students, representing around 38% of nearly 120,000 Palestinian students in East Jerusalem, he added.
Al-Rifai said the number of students studying the Israeli curriculum has risen sharply in recent years, from 10,347 in the 2020-21 academic year to 19,402 in 2024-25 and 27,041 in 2025-26.
He said the shift follows years of Israeli pressure on Palestinian educational institutions, including measures targeting school administrations and linking some funding to curriculum-related conditions.
Al-Rifai also cited Israel's takeover of two educational compounds previously operated by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in the Shuafat and Kafr Aqab refugee camps.
According to available information, Israeli authorities plan to open 14 secondary-school classes, an elementary school and five kindergartens at the Shuafat compound, as well as a boys' secondary school at the Kafr Aqab compound, he said.
Al-Rifai argued that imposing the curriculum of an occupying power on Palestinians in an occupied city constitutes a "serious violation of international humanitarian law."
He said the Fourth Geneva Convention places obligations on the occupying power toward civilians, including protecting children and ensuring the continued functioning of educational institutions.
The Palestinian official said the issue goes beyond an administrative or educational measure and directly affects Palestinian "awareness, memory and national identity," accusing Israel of removing or marginalizing subjects related to Palestinian history, including the Nakba, prisoners and Jerusalem.
He called on UNESCO, UN agencies and other international organizations to intervene to halt the measures and protect Palestinian educational institutions and the right to education.
Al-Rifai said Palestinians' adherence to their curriculum "is not merely an attachment to a textbook, but a defense of memory, identity, history and the right to determine the national narrative."
