Israel Bars Work Permits for West Bank Teachers at Jerusalem Christian Schools

Christian schools in Jerusalem face a new threat to their staffing after the Israeli Ministry of Education announced on March 10 that no work permits will be issued for the 2026-2027 academic year to Palestinian teachers living in the occupied West Bank who hold a “green card,” an administrative document that allows certain Palestinians to work or travel within Israeli-controlled areas. The source says that more than 200 Christian teachers could be left unemployed and unable to teach in the city’s Christian schools.

The pressure has built over several months. On July 6, 2025, the Education Committee of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, gave final approval to a bill aimed at banning the employment within Israel and East Jerusalem of Palestinian teachers holding degrees obtained in the West Bank. According to the authorities, those degrees do not meet the academic qualifications required to teach in these areas.

Earlier, at the start of the current school year, 171 teachers from the West Bank did not receive the necessary authorizations to teach in their schools. The General Secretariat of Christian Schools responded by calling a week-long strike across all Christian schools in Jerusalem, which was to continue until the situation was regularized and the required permits were issued.

On March 10, 2026, the Ministry sent a letter to school principals in Jerusalem requiring them, for the 2026-2027 term, to recruit teachers who reside in the city and hold Israeli-issued certificates. The source states that, in practice, no work permits will be granted to Palestinian teachers living in the West Bank who hold a green card.

A representative of the General Secretariat of Christian Schools in the Holy Land, speaking on condition of anonymity to the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), warned that if the decision is implemented, the schools “will find themselves in a very difficult position, which will jeopardize their sustainability and cause them to lose their Christian mission.” The source says nearly 230 Christian teachers who live in the West Bank and hold green cards work in 15 Christian schools in Jerusalem. The representative said this would mean about 15 absent teachers per school, “resulting in a major disruption for our pupils and our teams.”

The source notes that most of these schools were founded at the end of the 19th century, have educated hundreds of thousands of Christian and Muslim students, and were established to promote Christian education and preserve the Christian presence in Jerusalem. The representative added that there are not enough Christian teachers in Jerusalem to take over, and that over the long term the restrictions could permanently affect the Christian character of the institutions. The source also reports that most of the affected teachers have worked in the schools for years and receive fair salaries, and that losing these positions would cause severe financial hardship for their families amid the war in Gaza and the current regional conflict. Some may be forced to emigrate.

The representative said the Church “will not abandon them in these difficult circumstances,” and that it is trying to communicate with all possible interlocutors within the Israeli government, “despite the difficulty of engaging in dialogue with them.” The schools have approached the relevant legal bodies, and the local Church is in constant contact with the Holy See and international actors to urge the Israeli government to reverse its decision. Asked what ACN could do, the representative said it was essential to highlight the problem globally, that financial aid would be necessary if the decision is enforced and families lose their income, and that Christians should pray for these teachers and for all Christians in Jerusalem and the Holy Land, “for prayer remains the key to the heart of Almighty God, in the land He has blessed and sanctified.”

Source: Read the original report