Parents concerned by cuts to security at East Jerusalem girls' school
Budgetary dispute leaves school with no security guards at gates; parents fear 'one of the girls will pay the price'.
Budget cuts to security staffing in the Ulpenat Tzvia Yetziratit, a religious high school for girls in East Jerusalem, endangers its students and puts them in harm's way, mothers of the students at the institution warned on Tuesday.
"The writing is on the wall," they called, adding that "the area around the school is very dangerous and we're concerned that one of the girls will pay the price."
Meanwhile, amidst the warnings of violence in East Jerusalem, stones were thrown at a light rail train in Shuafat. No injuries were reported, but damage was caused to the train.
The high school, located between Jerusalem's French Hill neighborhood and the Issawiya neighborhood – the site of recent clashes in the capital – has been, up until now, under the protection of security guards until 6 pm, when the students finish the school day.
Financing problems and a dispute between the municipality and the police led to the reduction in the security guards' hours, and it was decided that they would work until 2 pm, much to the parents' discontent. The parents have covered the security costs in the past several days, and are now threatening to shut down the facility.
"The worst scenario is that they will enter the school and lynch the girls," said Yonah Cohen, a mother of an 11th grade student."
"I feel as if I'm fighting for security and for my daughter's life. As soon as they removed the security guards, youths from Issawiya entered and played soccer on the field, stole cell phones from the girls, and sexually, verbally and physically abused them. My daughter walks to the bus station and I am not calm, I told them they could only go out in pairs," she said.
A 12th grade student at the school said that riots at a nearby gas station left her and her friends fearful. "On the same night, it was scary to think that we're going to school on the next day. I feel the lack of security, that no one is protecting us."
