The Knesset Education Committee, following wall-to-wall criticism of Defense Minister Ehud Barak for his freeze of additional classrooms in Judea and Samaria, resolved that it’s time for the entire government to intervene.
The background for Wednesday’s debate was the urgent need for the approval of 177 new classrooms. Though originally the 10-month freeze on Jewish construction in Judea and Samaria did not include public buildings such as schools, Defense Minister Ehud Barak unilaterally decided that this exception was no longer valid.
"New classrooms" in this context generally does not mean new construction, but rather bringing in "caravans," which are mobile-home-like structures without wheels.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, the Likud and the government have all come under sharp attack from the nationalist camp for allowing Barak, who commands the loyalty of only 8-9 Knesset Members (the other 4-5 Labor Party members have declared themselves an internal party opposition) to have such a strong say in political matters.
The various localities in Judea and Samaria and the Education Ministry have submitted 250 requests for new classrooms, 73 of which have been approved. Of the remainder, 27 more have received Defense Ministry approval but are stuck somewhere in bureaucracy-land, while the remaining 150 have not even received the Defense Ministry’s OK.
Committee Chairman Zevulun Orlev (Jewish Home) opened the session by saying, “The law states that pupils must go to school and that the State must establish schools for them… As long as children are living in Judea and Samaria, it is incumbent upon us to apply the Compulsory Education Law to them.
“It cannot be that some clerks declare that there is a legal problem,” Orlev said, “and therefore classes are not added. If a solution is not found, we will bring this matter to the government.”
Shomron Regional Council head Gershon Mesika said: “I find myself in a dilemma of which law to violate – either the construction freeze regulation, or the law that requires me to provide classes for all children… We will build classrooms no matter what, and I am willing to be arrested on this matter, to enable every child to have normal, minimal conditions for studying just like other students in Israel. I believe that dozens of MKs will join us…”
Danny Dayan, head of the Yesha Council of Jewish Communities in Judea and Samaria, said, “Barak doesn’t internalize this simple principle of ‘a classroom for every child,’ and tries to explain it away with various judicial excuses - but the truth is simple: Everywhere else in Israel, problems like this are solved, but here in Judea and Samaria, they are not solved, and this is for only one reason: The Defense Minister’s desire to restrict the Jews of Judea and Samaria - even at the expense of children. This is intolerable, and we will absolutely not accept it.”
“If the classrooms are not built or added in an ‘organized’ [legal] manner, then they will be built in an ‘unorganized’ fashion,” Dayan said. “And I am happy that members of the Land of Israel Knesset forum have said that they will join us in this effort if necessary.”
Shai Rinsky, an aide to Education Minister Gideon Saar, explained that the delay is being caused by the fact that the Defense Ministry has not approved buildings from previous years. He said that Saar and Barak had discussed the matter last Thursday, and that the Prime Minister’s Bureau had also called in. “We must find the way to approve these buildings and put a roof over these students’ heads,” Rinsky said.
MK Aryeh Eldad (National Union): “The Defense Minister chooses which law he wants to fulfill, and refuses to recognize the Compulsory Education Law. We will work via the Knesset committee and lobbies to correct this distorted situation.”
“There are no legal problems,” said Efrat Mayor Oded Revivi, “there are only bureaucratic problems.”
Avi Roeh, who heads the Binyamin Regional Council, said, “No one in the government is concerned with Jewish life in Yesha; they’re worried only about the Palestinians. The responsibility lies upon the entire government, and primarily the Prime Minister, to provide a classroom for every child. We plan to provide a classroom for each pupil in any event.”
Representing the Defense Minister at the session was his Assistant for Settlement Matters, Eitan Baroshi, who ignored Barak's additions to the construction freeze and placed the responsibility on the residents:
“I hope that the school year will begin as scheduled with no problems; there is no need to roll your eyes and no need to attack the Defense Minister who is not here. The Defense Ministry is fully involved in seeingr that the school year will open as scheduled. The rules are of the government of Israel, not Ehud Barak [personally]… Whoever decides to live in Yesha, takes upon himself the responsibility for problems of this nature. The Defense Minister only has one vote in the Cabinet… We must shorten the bureaucratic process and reach a quick solution. I request a few more days in order to solve some of the problems.”