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At night, when the ‘Einabus 5th-graders were sound asleep

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At night, when the ‘Einabus 5th-graders were sound asleep

‘Einabus, 28 January 2020 – settlers torch elementary school classroom.
‘Einabus, 28 January 2020 – settlers torch elementary school classroom.

settlers came to their school, poured flammable material in their classroom and started a fire.

The next morning, 28 January 2020, school caretaker Nafez Safdi opened the door and smelled smoke. He went from one classroom to another until he found the fifth grade classroom charred. He quickly notified the principal and went out to inspect the premises, to try and find the source of the fire. In the back yard he found the wall covered in ugly slogans, in Hebrew.

Principal Sa’id ‘Awad arrived and, after ensuring no other classrooms had been damaged, reported the incident to the authorities. The school day began, but the children didn’t want to study. They were scared and wanted to go home. Eventually, after talks with the school staff, they went into their classrooms. The fifth graders studied in the computer room that day.

“I still haven’t received a call from the Israeli DCO”, says ‘Awad. “Only the Palestinian police showed up. They confirmed that the arsonists poured flammable material that caused the fire.”

‘Einabus, 28 January 2020 – settlers torch elementary school classroom.

‘Einabus, 28 January 2020 – settlers torch elementary school classroom.
 

Israel’s regime of apartheid and occupation is inextricably bound up in human rights violations. B’Tselem strives to end this regime, as that is the only way forward to a future in which human rights, democracy, liberty and equality are ensured to all people, both Palestinian and Israeli, living between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.

Since the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023, Israel has acted in a coordinated and deliberate manner to destroy Palestinian society in the Gaza Strip, committing genocide against its residents. In light of Israel’s actions in Gaza, the public statements made by Israeli decision-makers, and the international community’s failure to take effective action, there is a serious risk that the Israeli regime will expand the genocide to other areas under its control—first and foremost, the West Bank.
B’Tselem calls on the Israeli public and the international community to use every tool available under international law to bring an immediate end to Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people.