Defending Palestinians with Strategic Litigation

Dear friends,

Over the past months, in the run-up to the new school year, Adalah has worked intensively to uphold the rights of Palestinian children, citizens of Israel, to access quality education. Here we share some of our recent main legal actions.

Petition Against the Closure of ‘A Shorooq’ School for Children With Autism

On 28 August 2025, Adalah, on behalf of 177 children and their families, petitioned the Jerusalem Administrative Court against the Ministry of Education’s (MoE) decision not to renew the license of ‘A Shorooq’ School, located in Arrabeh in northern Israel, which serves students on the autism spectrum. The MoE decided to disperse the pupils to various locations and place them in unsuitable, non-adapted frameworks, despite that the school has long provided therapeutic education tailored to the needs of children with autism, from kindergarten through high school.

Adalah argued that the decision, based on alleged financial irregularities in the school’s management, violates the children’s rights to education, continuity of care, and wellbeing, and infringes on their parents’ rights to stability and choice. The court held an urgent hearing on 16 September 2025, and ordered the MoE to ensure that by 18 September, every child without a placement must receive a new assignment, and that families have the right to appeal. The Court also accepted Adalah’s demand that the parents’ committee be consulted and included in the decision-making process regarding placements. Adalah is assisting parents in pressing for MoE compliance with the court’s ruling.

Demanding Equal Access to Science Tracks for Arab High School Students in Haifa

On 9 September 2025, Adalah submitted an administrative petition to the Haifa District Court on behalf of the parents of 13 students, two parents’ committee leaders, and the High Follow-Up Committee for Education demanding that the MoE and the Haifa Municipality ensure Arab pupils’ right to enroll in a high school program that includes a scientific track for the 2025–2026 academic year.

Since July 2025, Adalah has sent several letters to the MoE and the municipality on behalf of the students who have yet to be placed in a suitable high school offering this track. The lack of placement reflects a long-standing structural problem: graduates of five Arab elementary schools in Haifa are sent only to two high schools—Shizaf and Al-Karma. The shortage is especially severe in the scientific track, which is essential for academic, professional, and research development. Of the two high schools, only Al-Karma operates a standardized scientific track, and even then, on a very limited scale with just two classes. This unreasonable concentration creates chronic overcrowding, denies Arab students access to diverse and high-quality education, and is discriminatory.

Adalah argued that the students who applied to Al-Karma science track formed a single eligibility group, equal in status and skills. While some were admitted, 13 were excluded, leaving them without access to the only standard science track in Haifa. These students are entitled, like others nationwide, to pursue science tracks in high school, yet they have been almost uniquely denied this opportunity.

Despite Adalah’s letters, the MoE and the municipality failed to confirm the existence of a proper track, instead attempting to present Shizaf’s 9th-grade “AI track” as equivalent. A court hearing is scheduled for 28 September 2025.

Securing Transportation to School for Bedouin Children Living in the Naqab

In May 2025, following a petition by Adalah, the Be’er Sheva Administrative Court ordered the MoE to reinstate school buses for 50 children in the Bedouin village of Bir Hadaj, after it abruptly cut the service at the start of the 2024–2025 school year. The court ruled that the Ministry had failed to provide a valid reason for its decision or to consider the children’s harsh living conditions. During the litigation of the case, the MoE disclosed that 2,500 more Bedouin children face similar circumstances, making this ruling a potential precedent against arbitrary, discriminatory transport cuts.

Adalah has continued to follow up on the implementation of the decision, and since the start of the school year, the MoE has provided transportation for the children to their area of residence. In addition, on 22 September 2025, Adalah sent another letter demanding transportation for an additional 49 children living in Bir Hadaj, ranging from kindergarten to high school, who have also been without transportation since the start of the 2024–2025 school year. Adalah is awaiting a response.

Thank you for your continued support for Adalah’s work. The right to education is a fundamental human right recognized in Israeli law and international human rights law. It is crucial for the empowerment of individuals and for social progress. The State of Israel has an obligation to respect, protect and fulfill this right without discrimination.

The Adalah team.