JERUSALEM, February 10, 2018 (WAFA) – Israeli authorities Saturday banned an event in an East Jerusalem school to honor retired Palestinian teachers and declared the area closed and off to people, according to Minister of Education Sabri Saidam.

He said in a statement that Israeli police declared the school, in which the ceremony was planned to be held, a closed military zone and prevented attendees from reaching it.

Saidam, who was supposed to attend the event, was forced to leave Jerusalem while other guests were handed orders to appear before the Israeli security.

“The decision to ban the event, along with other on-going violations, comes under Israel’s aggressive campaign against education in Jerusalem and is considered as a war on the Palestinian curriculum,” Saidam said.

He called on international humanitarian organizations to stand against Israel’s attempts to force Palestinian students to study the Israeli curriculum in occupied East Jerusalem schools, in addition to the on-going violations that include raiding schools and detaining teachers and students.

K.T./M.K.