JERUSALEM, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Dozens of private schools in East Jerusalem went on strike and suspended classes on Tuesday, the first day of the school year, after Israel failed to renew entry permits for teachers and staff from the occupied West Bank, worsening shortages of teachers and resources in the territory.
The strike affected some 15,000 students, according to Ir Amim, an Israeli human rights group that monitors developments in East Jerusalem.
A Xinhua cameraman who visited East Jerusalem on Tuesday reported seeing empty school playgrounds and classrooms. In the hallways of some schools, signs read "Back to School" or welcomed new students, but the schools were deserted.
Private school administrators announced the move on Monday and said classes would remain suspended until the permits were renewed.
Meanwhile, the General Secretariat for Christian Educational Institutions in Jerusalem said in a statement that the restrictions "undermine the stability of our schools" and hinder their ability to operate.
Israel captured East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war and later annexed it, a move not recognized by most of the international community. Palestinians seek an independent state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. ■
