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Palestinian Teachers' Strike Grows, Reflecting Deep Crisis
(AP-Washington Post) Isabel Debre - Palestinian public schools in the West Bank have been closed since Feb. 5 due to a teachers' strike. Teachers' demands for a pay raise have escalated into a protest movement. Teachers are also calling for a democratically elected union. In response, the Palestinian Authority has threatened mass firings and even arrests, drawing fresh attention to what critics describe as its crackdown on civil society groups and freedom of expression. A lawsuit filed by the Ministry of Education on March 13 lists the names of 151 outspoken teachers who would be dismissed if they continued their strike and detained if they put up further resistance.