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Municipal school at Kfar Akab

School raided by armed gang in east J'lem; police fail to show up

Staff at Kfar Akab municipal school locked inside for hour-and-a-half. Father enraged over treatment of injured son terrorizes school together with armed relatives. Police fail to act on emergency calls

A gang armed with guns and knives on Tuesday raided the municipal school in Kfar Akab, which is located within the Jerusalem municipal zone, and locked the school gates rendering teachers and students hostages for an hour-and-a-half, Ynet has learned.

 

Police forces refused to handle the matter claiming, the building was situated beyond the West Bank security barrier. As a result many parents did not send their children to the school Wednesday.

 

The incident began when a five-year-old boy attending the kindergarten which is placed inside the school was lightly injured. His father was outraged as what he regarded was ill treatment of his son. "The father came to the school, attacked the principal and punched his deputy. He locked them in the room," an eyewitness related.

 

Sources at the school told Ynet that the father was joined by six of his relatives carrying weapons.

A frightened teacher who hid in the bathroom called the police. "They said it would take an hour before they arrive since it was very dangerous territory," she said.

 

More than an hour later she placed another call. "I asked 'why aren't you coming?' The police officer asked me where Kfar Akab was. I said near the Qalandiya checkpoint. She asked where that was and I said near Atarot. She asked where Atarot was, 'in the territories?' and then she hung up the phone."

 

School employees also tried contacting Palestinian police but were told they could not be of assistance since the school was within Israeli borders and was part of Jerusalem.

 

One eyewitness described the scene. "They locked the school doors and threatened teachers and students. Another minute and we would have had bodies. The whole world showed up outside the school apart from the police and only an hour-and--half later the armed men left."

 

He also noted this wasn't the first violent incident in the educational establishment. "A month ago there was an incident with the same boy and the principal. Someone came and fired four bullets at the principal's door."


School principal's door perforated from last incident's bullets 

 

The female teacher who placed the initial call to the police said she and her colleagues have been under great emotional distress since the incident. "I'm still shaking, I haven't slept all night. We're all traumatized."

 

The school secretary complained of the authorities' impotence. "I'm an employee of the Jerusalem Municipality; the school is a municipal school. We sent letters to the municipality, to (Mayor) Nir Barkat and we were directed to the police. They don't take any notice of us there.

 

"The Education Ministry and the Teachers Union also ignored our complaints. Who's responsible for us? Why don't we have a security guard at the entrance to the school, like in Jewish schools? How can I go on like this? I'm scared for my life," she said. 

 

The school's Parent-Teacher Association decided to close the establishment on Wednesday out of fear for the children's lives.

 

Responses

The Jerusalem Municipality stated in response, "This is a very unusual and serious incident. The Education Directorate instructed the principal to immediately turn the matter over to the police."

The Education Ministry confirmed the incident's details and claimed they approached the police but noted that they were not aware of prior incidents.

 

The Jerusalem Police initially denied having received telephone calls from teachers at the establishment during the incident. A further examination revealed that the phone calls had apparently reached the Judea and Samaria District Police, which in turn transferred the matter to the Jerusalem District police.

 

The Jerusalem District police finally confirmed it had received a call from the Judea and Samaria District but stressed that the security responsibility for Kfar Akab lies with the Judea and Samaria District. "They are the ones who should have arrived at the scene during the event. The criminal responsibility of the location is under the Jerusalem District. "

 

Yaheli Moran Zelikovich contributed to this report

 


פרסום ראשון: 12.23.09, 18:46
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