The Occupation Approves Establishment of a Jewish School in Sheikh Jarrah

SadaNews - The Jerusalem Governorate considered the Israeli occupation authorities' approval of a plan to establish a massive Haredi religious "yeshiva" in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood as a clear exploitation of the regional distraction caused by the existing escalation between the United States and Israel on one hand, and Iran on the other, to pass colonial plans that aim to cement the realities on the ground in occupied Jerusalem.

The governorate clarified in a statement issued today, Thursday, that the so-called district planning committee of the occupation municipality in Jerusalem approved, on Monday, April 20, 2026, the establishment of a Jewish Haredi religious school "yeshiva" named "Or Sumyach" in the heart of the neighborhood, despite objections from human rights organizations, in a step that reflects the occupation's persistence in its policies aimed at enhancing colonial presence in the Palestinian neighborhoods.

The governorate indicated that the project includes the establishment of a massive building consisting of 11 floors, on an area of approximately 5 dunams at the southern entrance of the neighborhood, opposite the Sheikh Jarrah Mosque, and includes dormitories for hundreds of Haredi Jewish students, along with housing units for faculty members, which portends a dangerous demographic and geographic change in the area.

The governorate stressed that Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood is one of the most prominent and important neighborhoods in Jerusalem, being the first Palestinian neighborhood outside the old city walls, and it contains numerous prominent Palestinian national addresses, such as "Beit Al-Sharq" which was the headquarters of the Palestine Liberation Organization before the occupation authorities closed it in 2003, in addition to the Palestinian National Theater and several diplomatic missions, which makes it a central target for the occupation's policies.

It confirmed that what is happening in the neighborhood represents a blatant embodiment of settlement policy in its clearest forms, and amounts to "complete forced displacement," in light of the occupation's reliance on a dual legal system designed to protect settlers, and used in turn as a tool to suppress Palestinians and seize their rights.

The governorate indicated that the establishment of what is called Talmudic academies in the heart of Palestinian neighborhoods, including Sheikh Jarrah, are not educational projects as promoted, but rather political tools for the Judaization of Arab neighborhoods, and pressure on their Palestinian residents to force them to leave, alongside policies of demolition and deliberate neglect of infrastructure in Palestinian neighborhoods.

The Jerusalem Governorate emphasized that this plan cannot be separated from a series of accelerating settlement projects targeting the neighborhood, especially in the areas of Umm Haroun and northern Sheikh Jarrah, alongside the rising threats to evict dozens of Palestinian families from their homes in favor of settlement associations.

It pointed out that the international silence regarding these policies encourages the occupation authorities to proceed with imposing realities on the ground, confirming that defending Jerusalem is no longer just a political issue, but a legal, humanitarian, and moral battle that requires urgent and serious action.