A few days ago, the Israeli army invaded the Palestinian village of Sosya in the South Hebron Hills. Here, they went straight for the village caravan-school and confiscated one of its caravans.

These caravans are used as classrooms, as the Palestinian Authority has not been granted permission to build in the area. The village lies within Area C, which is controlled by the Israeli Civil Administration. Therefore, they must achieve permission from Israel to build permanent constructions. These permissions are often denied, in an attempt to remove Palestinians from the areas. As a reaction to this, the Palestinian Ministery has begun the project Soumod and Tahaddi – Stand and Challenge, which offers these caravans as an alternative to schools.

In Palestine, there is 10 years of compulsory attendance in school. However, the Israeli Administration often challenge the wish for an educated population, by denying the Palestinians to build schools in areas under Israeli control. In Sosya, these schools educate dozens of students, who otherwise would have had to attend the distant schools in Yatta Town to the West, or even flee the area. But it does not only prevent the villages from building schools. A few days ago the Israelis also denied the Sosya village to rehabilitate the area around the caravan-school and build a small playground for the children. 

The villagers attempted to stop the soldiers from removing the caravan, but without luck. One citizen got arrested, while the caravan was still moved to an unknown location.

It is not the first time that the Israeli army has attacked and confiscated one of these caravans. While it happens all over Palestine, the Sosya village is one of the most targeted by the Israeli occupation and land confiscation, as it has a high number of Israeli settlers. These settlers, together with the Israeli army, often attack the villages in the area intending to force the Palestinians out.