Created on: 05 Feb 2026
The EIS has joined with two other education trade unions, in writing to the Foreign Secretary to raise concerns over a recent international delegation, including the EIS President, being blocked from entering Palestine on an educational visit.
The EIS, National Education Union (NEU), and University & College Union (UCU) are calling on the UK Government to raise these concerns with their Israeli counterparts, and to seek assurances that any similar future educational delegations will not be denied entry to Palestine.
The letter to Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper states, “We write as senior leaders in our respective UK education trade unions to protest in the strongest possible terms about our treatment by Israeli border and military personnel as we sought to enter Israel/Palestine via the Jordanian border.”
“We were part of a 15-strong high-level mission of global education trade unionists coordinated by Education International (EI), the global education unions’ federation. The mission was due to visit the West Bank to join the General Union of Palestinian Teachers (GUPT) for celebration events to mark UNESCO International Day of Education on 24 January.”
“The entire mission was stopped at the border and held for five hours. Our passports were confiscated, our phones searched and we were questioned at length by the Israeli military. The questions went far beyond the itinerary and purpose of our intended visit to the West Bank but included our personal political views and affiliations…we were not allowed to cross the border into Israel/Palestine and were finally returned to Jordan.”
“You will be acutely aware of the situation facing educators and the education system in Palestine and the reason why we felt it so important, as sister education unions, to demonstrate our solidarity with our Palestinian colleagues on the International Day of Education.”
“In Gaza, 95% of schools have been damaged or destroyed and all universities demolished. Over 20,000 children and young people, and hundreds of educators, were killed in the recent war with thousands more left with life-changing injuries.”
“Our trade union organisations will continue to raise the plight of Palestinian children, students, educators and trade unionists. We hope we can rely on the UK Government to do the same.”
A copy of the full letter to the Foreign Secretary is available here.