The UN is failing Palestine's Schoolchildren

Since 1948 it has been possible to see how Israel orchestrated its occupation of Palestine through a series of violations which the international community singles out as individual acts. By refusing to consider Israel's collective actions as leading to the oppression of a people, the UN has normalised its violations of international humanitarian law.

Read more:Israel leads in global attacks on medical facilities, workers - with Syria just behind

If the UN has failed to take action when it comes to Israel's policies that constitute ethnic cleansing, it is even easier for it to ignore violations of Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which stipulates the right to education.

For Palestinians, education is the only remaining possibility that can contribute towards their independence and self-determination.

Israel and the UN are aware of this fact, and efforts to sabotage education have been ongoing. From impositions on the Palestinian curriculum and the targeting of schools in the occupied West Bank, to outright destruction of education premises in Gaza, Palestinian education suffers from constant interruption enforced by Israel.

The international community, on the other hand, has repeatedly associated education with humanitarian needs, as opposed to encouraging its political aspect.

At the very least, it was expected that the UN, in its role as alleged protector of human rights, would speak out on Israel's targeting of Palestinian schools

Arguable, the UN participates in calculated violence against Palestinians even when it comes to education, for it is in agreement with Israel regarding the normalisation of violence, including airstrikes on a besieged population.

Furthermore, the UN's international refusal to comment upon Israel's recent destruction of Palestinian schools shows that the organisation has no qualms about abusing its own definitions of rights, be they political, humanitarian, or both.

Futhermore, it appears the UN only considers the targeting of schools problematic when they pertain to its own organisation. Which means that, rather than speaking about Israel eliminating Palestinians' right to education, the UN is concerned with damages it incurs.

With the wrong message endorsed internationally - that damage to UN premises is more important than the ramifications upon Palestinians in Gaza - what is there to sustain the truth that education is imperative for Palestinians?

The UN has absconded, turning against its own charter, thus leaving Palestinians to face their anti-colonial struggle in isolation.

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