Palestinian children approach a checkpoint in Hebron. Picture by laurawhudson / flickr.com. Some rights reserved. (CC BY-NC 2.0)The restricted right to education, plays an important role especially for future generations. Actors like the EU, which is the major donor of Palestine and Israel’s most important trading partner, plays a crucial role in order to open space for educational initiatives. Its leverage, however, remains unused due to its unwillingness to invoke adequate pressure on the Israeli occupier.
The continuing occupation of parts of the Palestinian West Bank by Jewish settlers and Israeli military units influences the social, cultural and economic development of Palestine. The right and access to education are particularly affected by current policies due to their importance and referring to the vulnerability of its stakeholders. Education is considered a crucial component for a self-determined future. Only a functioning and accessible education system can maintain this goal in Palestine. As the main donor to Palestine, the EU finances a number of education and infrastructure projects in the West Bank and should therefore have a well-founded interest in their comprehensive implementation in order to unfold their full impact. As the latter is not the case at present, the question arises, if the EU plays a similar dishonest game as the US, or if its investment actually aims for changes on the ground. As long as no political and economic measures are taken to ensure the implementation of its projects the former seems to be true and huge sums of money continue to bewasted in the desert.
The EU provided over €290 million in assistance to Palestine last year, mainly through the PEGASE financial mechanism. It covers wages of the Palestinian Authority, guarantees pension contributions and provides funds for the needs of the poorest and most marginalised sections of the population. In addition, parts of the funds are channelled through UNRWA directly into support for Palestinian refugees. The aim is to promote economic, cultural, scientific and educational matters - inter alia with the aim of improving the educational situation in Palestine.
