Qalandiya, West Bank – By midday Friday, Israeli troops had withdrawn from the Qalandiya Training Centre in occupied East Jerusalem, but overhead, an Israeli drone still hovered in the sky, likely filming and monitoring any activity below. For now, occupied East Jerusalem’s last remaining vocational training centre remains off-limits to Palestinians. Meanwhile, Israeli troops are threatening to storm at any time.
Looking through the UNRWA centre’s main gate, the aftermath of a previous Israeli raid was evident: Shattered glass, the remnants of metal and charred ground. Other videos Al Jazeera obtained from the training facility show classrooms ransacked, doors smashed and workshops abandoned. UNRWA confirmed damage to the facility when Israeli troops were present and said it had received reports of “individuals entering the premises and attempting to steal some of its contents”.
Registration for the new school year was open until September 1, and classes were to begin soon. UNRWA says it hopes to reopen the facility at the earliest possible opportunity. But on Tuesday, Israeli military and police personnel raided the centre and surrounding areas, expelling about 40 staff members.
The Qalandiya Training Centre has already been raided six times this year, UNRWA said. But this time it was different, with Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir accompanying the police during the incursion. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said on social media that the land will be handed to the Jerusalem municipality and turned into an educational complex.
But that’s exactly what the centre currently is – an educational facility giving Palestinian refugees the chance to study and join the workforce. Each year, about 340 Palestinian refugees from across the occupied West Bank graduate from the training centre. After they complete a two-year programme, they can obtain vocational diplomas in 16 specialisations, including carpentry, telecommunications, and interior design.
For many, this is a chance to get the skills needed to join the workforce, build a life and a career. The United Nations says 90% of the graduates from the facility find a job, which is a remarkable achievement given that nearly one in three Palestinians in the occupied West Bank are out of work. The centre has been running for more than seven decades, and one of its graduates is 73-year-old Youssef Abu Latifeh, who lives as a refugee in the Qalandiya refugee camp.
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