Following is the text of the statement issued by the Christian Schools in Jerusalem on the suspension of school attendance due to the non-renewal of permits for teachers and staff, dated August 31, 2026:

For hundreds of years, Jerusalem's Christian schools have carried out a well-established educational and humanitarian mission and are an essential part of the city's identity and its cultural and social fabric. Throughout their long history, our schools have always been committed to providing quality education, contributing to the preparation of generations shaped by competence, knowledge, values, a sense of belonging, and responsibility.

As our schools prepared for the start of the new 2026–2027 school year, we were once again surprised, and sadly, by the failure to renew entry permits for over 70 teachers and staff members in the education, administrative, technical, and support sectors. This measure was adopted suddenly and without warning, preventing them from reaching their schools and directly impacting the organization of the start of the new school year.

The absence of such a large number of teaching and non-teaching staff impacts various aspects of school, educational, administrative, technical, and healthcare work, as well as cleaning services and safety and protection procedures, making it impossible to guarantee our students a safe and stable start to the school year.

Therefore, following consultations and coordination with the relevant authorities and representatives of parents and schools in Jerusalem, it has been decided to suspend school activities in Jerusalem city schools starting from the morning of Tuesday, September 1, 2026, until the necessary permits for teachers and staff are reissued and renewed, in order to ensure the smooth running of the educational process in conditions of safety and stability.

While reaffirming our full commitment to our students' right to education, we also emphasize the importance of the educational and formative mission of our schools, which is a fundamental component of our identity, our culture, and our presence in the city of Jerusalem, and which contributes to the preparation of generations shaped by competence, knowledge, values, a sense of belonging, and responsibility.

Ours is a mission that educates in the culture of just peace. The repetition of such measures compromises the stability of our schools, hinders their ability to fulfill their mission, and negatively impacts students, their families, educational staff, and the entire community.

We call for this crisis to be addressed as quickly as possible and for these measures to be lifted and not repeated in the future, so as to preserve the stability of our educational institutions, guarantee students the right to a regular and safe education, and allow our schools to continue their educational, training, and humanitarian mission.

We trust in everyone's understanding of this decision and hope for a swift resolution to the crisis so that our students and staff can soon return to their schools and the school year can proceed as normal.

The Christian schools of Jerusalem