Equipped with footballs, balloons and art materials Brighton students are today visiting two schools in remote Palestinian villages. They will involve the local children in a day of sports and arts activities.

They will spend the morning at Al Jiftlik school. Three years ago the people of Al Jiftlik defied the Israeli authorities and built a school of tents, as there was no secondary school for local children. Their resistance and resilience paid off, and they now have a new, modern school built with international aid.

In the afternoon the delegation will organise sports and arts activities for the children of Fasayil in their new locally built school. Inspired by the tent school in Al Jiftlik, the local people planned to build a school of mud bricks. Construction began in the summer of 2007 in defiance of Israel’s ban on house building in the area and the school constitutes a physical manifestation of the Palestinian people’s peaceful resistance to the occupation.

When they received an injunction form the Israeli Civil Military Administration to stop building, in October 07, they carried on building and challenged the injunction. International supporters organised an international petition, press and fundraising campaign. The local people were defiant: ”They can knock our school down as often as they want. We cannot stop them from doing so. We will build the school again and again and again. They cannot destroy our determination to give proper education to our children.” Israeli Military Civil Administration were forced to concede that “humanitarian considerations” must be taken into account before demolishing the school.

The village have just heard that the Palestinian Authority have agreed to provide a teacher from September when the school will open. Meanwhile, the local children will get their first taste of activities in the school today.

The building of the Fasayil primary school is a joint project between the Popular Committee of Fasayil, the Palestinian Save the Jordan Valley Initiative of the Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign and the Brighton-Tubas Friendship and Solidarity Group. The villagers were almost immediately issued with an injunction on the continued building of the school by Israel’s ’Military Civil Administration’ and hence the building was threatened with demolition if the work continued.

In Early December, the project suffered a setback as some of the walls collapsed during unusually heavy weather. The village is now in the process of repairing the damaged parts with more sturdy concrete blocks as well as adding a second building. The first classroom is completed and ready for use.

Therezia Cooper from the Brighton Tubas Group says ”The determination of the people of Fasayil not to let this occupation crush them and drive them from their land is truly inspirational. Education is a human right and hopefully the activities day will allow the children to experience the school for what it is supposed to be and have some fun. This will be a small victory over the occupation in itself”.

These activities are being planned as part of a week long delegation to the Tubas and Jordan Valley areas of the Palestinian West Bank by Brighton Tubas Friendship and Solidarity Group.

Journalists based in the area are encouraged to get in contact on the numbers above and come to Fasayil on Monday afternoon.

For photos of the building of Fasayil school see  http://charity.dc5b.com/fsp/

To see online blogs from the Brighton delegation currently in Palestine visit www.brightonpalestine.org