Petition For Palestinian Children

A wonderful Israeli organization called Taayush or “living together” has launched a petition drive concerning the dire state of education for Palestinian children under Israeli occupation.

The petition can be found at:

http://taayush.tripod.com/petition.html

and it reads as below. I hope everyone will go sign it, and send money to Taayush.

Don’t Abandon the Children

If you wish to sign the petition please fill the form below and press submit.

The Right to Education is Under Attack!

We, the undersigned, educators, psychologists, social workers —

people who are working for the welfare of children — decry the

violations being committed against the well-being and

the basic right to education of Palestinian children.

Nearly one quarter of a million Palestinian children and close

to ten thousand teachers cannot reach their schools.

Approximately six hundred educational institutions have been closed

due to the continued curfew.*

Many children are exposed to danger and endless difficulties

as they make their way to school. Great injury, and perhaps even

irreversible harm, is being done to a whole generation — the generation of the future.

Take, for example, the South Hebron cave dwellers’ children,

one third of whom have dropped out of school. For months,

Jewish settlers from Maon have prevented the children from

reaching their school. The settlers have thrown stones,

harassed, and hit children who have dared to cross the path

leading to their school (the Maon settlement was built very close

to these educational facilities).

A few children have needed medical attention as a result of

wounds incurred by the stones. When parents accompanied

their children on their way to school, the police came to the

aid of the settlers, arresting the parents. In order to avoid settler

violence, the children have been forced to walk at least seven

kilometers to school, using a long detour, which takes about two hours.

Not all children can handle such long distances.

Not Surprisingly, most of the ‘drop-outs’ are among the youngest

children — six and seven year olds. What will become of these children?

Education and child welfare are of utmost importance to us,

the undersigned, and we call upon the Israeli government to:

1) Immediately open the Palestinian educational institutions;

2) Stop settler intimidation and harassment;

3) Ensure that the children and teachers will safely reach

their schools so they can enjoy the basic right to education.

* According to UNICEF more than 226,000 children and

over 9,300 teachers are unable to reach their regular classrooms

and at least 580 schools have been closed due to Israeli

military curfews, closures and home confinement.

For more information on Ta’ayush — Arab-Jewish Partnership —

visit our WebSite http://taayush.tripod.com/