The school is located in Jubbet ad Dhib community, close to Beit Ta'mir village, southeast of Bethlehem. The donor funded school was established in 2017 and is now serving more than 40 students (15 boys and 25 girls) from grades 1-4. The school was established to serve the children of the community who had to walk long distances and cross a main road to reach the nearest school. The school is built on private land donated by the local community.
The day before the 2017/18 school year was due to start in August 2017, the school was demolished by Israeli soldiers.
In September 2017, the school was rebuilt by around 100 volunteers overnight and lessons began the next day. The newly rebuilt school was named ‘Challenge 5 School’, because it was the fifth school to be built by the Ministry in areas threatened by Israeli settlement construction. These schools are within Area C, which is under Israeli military control, near military outposts and Israeli settlements. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stated that Israeli restrictions in Area C had made it “virtually impossible” for Palestinians to obtain building permits there. According to OCHA, as a result of such Israeli policies, more than a third of Palestinian communities in Area C lack primary schools.
A Building Permit for the school was submitted in February 2021, an agreement was reached between the state and the petitioners, whereby the petitioners submitted a new detailed plan for the school in March 2021.
On 12 January 2023, the Planning Sub-Committee of the ICA (the Industrial Cooperation Authority at the Ministry of Economy and Industry) rejected the new outline plan. The ICA granted The Society of St. Yves (a Catholic human rights organisation working in Palestine) 30 days to take legal action (the 30 days duration expired on 10 February 2023).
On 10 Feb 2023, St. Yves submitted a petition to the District Court against the demolition of the school along with a request for an interim injunction. The Court granted the interim injunction protecting the school. The Court asked the ICA to respond to the petition and the interim injunction.
On 26 Feb 2023, the Israeli Court refused to extend the petition submitted by the Settlement and Wall Resistance Commission and St. Yves to stop the demolition.
On 6 March, the Israeli Central Court rejected the petition filed by the Palestinians against the demolition. The Court gave the Civil Administration the period of 60 days to demolish the school.