A Guardian podcast reports on the Al Mughayyir boys' school in the occupied West Bank, where at least five pupils have been killed over the past year and the village is surrounded by settlers and military checkpoints.
Key facts
- At least five pupils at a West Bank village school have been killed in the last year by settlers and soldiers.
- The report focuses on the Al Mughayyir boys' school in a West Bank village.
- The village is surrounded by settlers, with all but one road blocked off by the military.
- The one open road has a checkpoint, preventing some teachers from neighbouring villages from reaching work.
- Guardian reporter Emma Graham-Harrison and English teacher Waheed Abu Naim feature in the podcast.
At least five pupils at a village school in the occupied West Bank have been killed over the past year by settlers and soldiers, according to a Guardian podcast reported by Emma Graham-Harrison. The episode examines how the Al Mughayyir boys’ school came to find itself on the frontline of tensions in the region.
The report centres on the experiences of staff and students at the school. Waheed Abu Naim, an English teacher there, describes his affection for the job despite the difficult circumstances. “I am happy to be a teacher,” he says. “Although we don’t get lots of money, because my students, especially in the morning, wait for me when I enter the school to shake hands, to smile at me while going inside their classes. So it’s a happy life.”
According to the podcast, the last year has been far from happy for Abu Naim. His village is now surrounded by settlers, while the military has blocked off every road except one, which has a checkpoint on it.
The restrictions have practical consequences for the running of the school. Teachers who live in neighbouring villages cannot always come to work because of the checkpoint and road closures, the Guardian reports.
Beyond the movement restrictions, the report highlights attacks on the village by settlers as the most serious threat facing residents and the school community. The podcast frames these attacks as the gravest of the challenges described by the teacher.
The Guardian presents the account as a window into daily life for staff and students at a school operating under siege conditions in the West Bank.
Why it matters
The report puts a human face on the impact of settler violence and military restrictions on civilians, and children in particular, in the occupied West Bank. It illustrates how conflict disrupts basic services such as education and endangers young students.
Frequently asked questions
How many pupils have been killed at the school?
According to the Guardian, at least five pupils at the Al Mughayyir boys' school have been killed in the last year by settlers and soldiers.
Why can't some teachers get to the school?
The military has blocked off every road except one, which has a checkpoint, so teachers who live in neighbouring villages cannot always reach work, the Guardian reports.
Where is the school located?
The Al Mughayyir boys' school is in a village in the occupied West Bank.