Blocking Education, Controlling Narratives
Yet again, we're told: Palestinian education is crumbling because Israel is holding back customs revenue. Al Jazeera's report highlights the devastating impact, detailing how schools lack basic supplies and teachers go unpaid. One might almost believe this is a regrettable side effect of conflict, a temporary inconvenience. But for those paying attention, this isn't an anomaly; it's a meticulously
applied lever of control. This financial chokehold is not some recent innovation. The Oslo Accords, signed in 1993, formalized Israel's control over Palestinian tax collection, transforming it into a mechanism for political leverage. In 2018, for instance, a mere 1% drop in GDP due to such revenue withholdings had immediate, tangible impacts on public services, particularly education. This isn't
about security; it's about systematically dismantling the infrastructure of an occupied people, precisely as British colonial powers stifled indigenous education in various territories to maintain dominance. The double standard is glaring. Nations across the globe condemn funding cuts to UNRWA, citing the humanitarian crisis, yet remain curiously silent as the Israeli government directly starves
Palestinian schools of their own collected funds. The narrative conveniently overlooks that denying education is a potent form of quiet subjugation, ensuring a future generation is less equipped to resist, to innovate, or even to articulate their own history. It ensures dependency while erasing identity. The question isn't whether they'll try again. It's whether enough people see this calculated