Ephpheta Paul VI Institute (Iftah Paul VI School for Special Needs) in the city of Bethlehem in the West Bank has sparked widespread controversy following its administration’s decision to prevent female students wearing hijab from entering the school, threatening to expel them and considering them absent from school if they insist on wearing the hijab.

Following in the footsteps of previous European leaders, and under the pretext of maintaining security and guaranteeing the fundamental rights of every woman and girl, the Italian Prime Minister, on Thursday, 24 September 2026, approved a decree banning the burqa and niqab in schools.