The town of Nablus; Arab children at school.




Initials PBS/VS/CR/EEH



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: Yesterday (Saturday) a number of schools on the West Bank of the Jordan in an area now administered by Israel, re-opened after being closed since June.

Israeli authorities have claimed the schools were kept closed as a gesture by the Arabs of their opposition to Israeli authority. The Israeli officials say the schools have now been reopened after representations by Arab teachers and officials.

This film was taken in the town of Nablus, where it is reported all but two schools have been reopened.

The schools have been supplied with new text books Israeli authorities say the content of the new text books has been altered only to remove anti-Semitic propaganda. The education curriculum has not been altered.

Israeli authorities reported that there has been an eighty per cent attendance by students since the schools reopened, and seventy per cent of the Arab teachers have reported for duty. Graduate teachers will replace those teachers who have not resumed their posts.