Schools in Israel's North may not reopen in time, Kisch says

Families evacuated from Israel’s northern border communities are unlikely to be able to return in time for the start of Israel’s school year, following a Tuesday afternoon announcement by Education Minister Yoav Kisch.

Kisch met with the Mateh Asher Regional Council Tuesday and informed families displaced from Israel’s confrontation line communities along the border with Lebanon that it was unlikely their schools would be opening on schedule due to several security complexities and the continued tensions growing between Israel and Hezbollah.

While referring to the school closures, Kisch stated: “This is a regrettable decision that was imposed on us and is accepted with a heavy heart. I once again call on the prime minister and the heads of the security establishment to act now and with force against the state of Lebanon – there is no escaping the decision to wage a massive war against Lebanon in order to restore peace and stability to the residents of the North and for the future of the State of Israel.”

Israeli media reported that Mayor Haim Bibas of Modi’in-Maccabim-Re’ut and chairman of the Federation of Local Authorities in Israel, was present at the meeting with Kisch and the northern families.

“We see a consistent drop in enrollment for the school year of at least 25% for the educational institutions in the North, we are losing Israel’s envelope. The State of Israel must not become a state ‘between [the cities of] Gedera and Hadera’ [just middle Israel] – it will be an event that will be very difficult to get out of,” Bibas said.

An estimated 1.6 million students in primary education across Israel completed their academic year in June. However, the Israel-Hamas War has left thousands of students displaced from the start of the school year.

Evacuee students stationed in hotels have remained there, waiting in preparation for the opening of a new temporary educational system while northern community schools were closed. The Education Ministry decided to close those schools, KAN News reported.

In a letter from the Fighting for the North Forum asking for an extension of government-provided hotels for evacuees, families noted that the instability presiding over northern families has caused uncertainty in every aspect of life for all, including young students.

Politicians react to northern border schools remaining closed

Israel Beytenu leader MK Avigdor Liberman wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that the school closures showed a lack of “vision, horizon, or hope” by the Israeli government.

ההודעה הרשמית על כך ששנת הלימודים לא תיפתח ביישובים שפונו בצפון מוכיחה שלממשלת ישראל אין שום חזון, אופק, או תקווה.אותה קונספציה שהובילה אותנו לשבעה באוקטובר, חיה, נושמת ובועטת, כל מה שאנחנו רואים בצפון זאת הכלה וכניעה לחיזבאללה.

— אביגדור ליברמן (@AvigdorLiberman) July 23, 2024

National Unity head MK Benny Gantz also wrote on X that he had previously warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the operational challenges and resources needed to help residents of Israel’s North. “I demanded that the resources be transferred there and end with a settlement or escalation,” he wrote. 

הודעתו של שר החינוך ששנת הלימודים בצפון לא תיפתח - צפויה ומתסכלת.זהו כישלון אדיר של הממשלה שנובע מכשל אסטרטגי של ראש הממשלה, שהוביל אותנו לשם ביודעין. לפני חודשים אמרתי לנתניהו, שהאתגר האופרטיבי הגדול ביותר הוא בצפון, ודרשתי להעביר לשם את המשאבים ולסיים בהסדרה או הסלמה. זה… pic.twitter.com/hjWexmDbpU

— בני גנץ - Benny Gantz (@gantzbe) July 23, 2024