25 West Bank Teachers Said to Be Arrested
At least 25 Palestinian teachers were arrested by Palestinian police Monday for refusing to end a strike that has paralyzed public schools in the West Bank, teachers and relatives said.
The teachers, from various West Bank cities, began their strike at the start of April, demanding higher pay in the first labor dispute involving Palestinian Authority employees.
Relatives said police in civilian clothes arrested the teachers at their homes.
Teachers said the arrests came after a stormy meeting between Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat and the teachers’ representatives in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Sunday. Teachers said their demands were rejected and that they then refused to end the strike.
But Palestinian officials said teachers had promised Arafat to end their strike Monday, and the arrests came after teachers were seen forcing students to leave classes.
As many as 18,000 of the about 20,000 teachers on the Palestinian Authority payroll in the West Bank have been on strike.
Teachers say average monthly pay is about $400, barely enough to cover basic expenses. Palestinian officials have said they offered raises of up to 15% despite budget constraints.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
