Israeli authorities responded to reports of daily demonstrations over the past several weeks involving Bedouin children from the unauthorized hamlet of Umm al-Khair near the Israeli community of Carmel in the South Hebron Hills of Judea.
Since April 13, when a small Arab elementary school reopened following Israel’s ceasefire with Iran, foreign and local media outlets have been present, documenting claims by Arab residents that children are being prevented from reaching the school due to a fence erected by the area’s Jewish residents.
A Hebron Hills Regional Council spokesperson told JNS the barrier was not erected to block the students, but rather it was put up by local security officials, in coordination with the army, as a defensive measure following repeated attempts by Arab terrorists to infiltrate Moshav Carmel.
AFSI’s take:
The presence of Umm al-Khair, an illegal outpost located within Carmel’s municipal boundaries, creates legitimate security concerns for the local Israeli population. Given that Area C of Judea and Samaria has been under total Israeli administration for the past twenty years, any attempts to challenge this governance represent a violation of Israel’s sovereign rights. Furthermore, Eliram Azoulay, the Head of the Hebron Hills Regional Council, has released footage demonstrating that an alternative path to the school is available and requires less than a two-minute drive. This entire situation is merely a media-driven PR maneuver intended to demonize Israel.