Police Raid East Jerusalem School Over Palestinian Flags and Incitement Materials

Israeli police raided an educational institution in the Wadi al-Joz neighborhood of East Jerusalem on Wednesday, seizing Palestinian Authority flags, similar scarves, and study materials suspected of containing incitement. The school principal was detained for questioning, and police said the operation was based on specific intelligence about such materials being kept at the site.

Detectives from the special assignments unit of the Jerusalem district's Central Unit searched the premises and said they found the flags and materials during a thorough inspection. Police said the evidence pointed to a systematic effort to introduce Palestinian nationalist content into the East Jerusalem school system.

The principal was taken to a police station for further investigation into her possible role in holding the materials and flags. In a statement, police said they would continue acting firmly to strengthen governance and sovereignty across Jerusalem, and added, "We will not allow any attempt to introduce or spread nationalist incitement content in educational institutions meant to serve the public."

The raid is part of a wider enforcement campaign in East Jerusalem in recent months. Police said they have also been working against online incitement to terrorism, and in recent weeks several suspects were arrested in Jerusalem and central Israel on suspicion of publishing inciting material and supporting the enemy, with some allegedly found carrying weapons and ammunition. The case has raised broader questions about oversight of schools in East Jerusalem, and senior security officials believe the problem may be more widespread and require a comprehensive review of the education system in the eastern neighborhoods of the city.