European Union foreign minister Federica Mogherini announced that the EU would conduct an in-depth investigation to find content encouraging incitement to hatred and violence in new Palestinian textbooks for fear of misuse of European aid funds.
Mogherini ‘s statement follows the IMPACT-se campaign, which was presented to senior EU and EU officials, who found that the new Palestinian textbooks published in September 2018 were significantly more radical than in previous years, with hundreds of extreme examples that did not appear in the past encouraging jihad, violence , Demonization and incitement against Israel and Jews, which have been systematically introduced into all classes and subjects, including mathematics, science, physics and biology. Thus, on a textbook for first grade, for example, a smiling girl appeared alongside “heretics” who were burned in the fire of hell.
In an official response to a parliamentary question by European Parliament member Mariana Fatir, Mogherini confirmed the planned investigation: “It is possible to confirm that academic research on Palestinian textbooks is planned, and the funds are allocated in the 2019 budget. The study aims to identify possible incitement to hatred and violence, and to non-compliance with UNESCO standards for peace and tolerance in education. Incitement to violence is incompatible with the promotion of the two-state solution, and greatly exacerbates the lack of trust between the communities. “
The European Union’s announcement of the study of Palestinian textbooks followed European responses to the IMPACT-se campaign and increased awareness among legislators. In March, Britain announced its participation in EU research. In January, the British parliament passed legislation calling for the use of tax monies for the Palestinian Authority to study hatred. The German government also announced last December that it would launch an independent investigation into the contents of the new Palestinian textbooks.
According to the IMPACT-se study, previous peace negotiations with Israel were deliberately omitted from the new books, including the Roadmap, the Wye Agreement and even the peace treaty with Jordan. In addition, sections of study that taught about Jewish historical presence in Jerusalem and the Land of Israel were omitted. The word “Israel”, which has also appeared on several maps in the past, has been completely erased from the maps in the new books.
“The European Union is the largest financial donor to the Palestinian Ministry of Education. But European taxpayers’ money and good will have been abused for years, with generations of young Palestinians systematically undergoing radicalization. There is no excuse and no justification. The PA takes hundreds of millions of euros and in return educates millions of children for violence, hatred and jihad. We hope that the EU’s in-depth examination of this issue will help put an end to this abuse of children and will finally enable young Palestinians to receive meaningful education for peace and tolerance. “
Following the IMPACT-se campaign, the European Parliament passed unprecedented legislation in April 2018 to prevent the use of EU aid funds to the Palestinian Authority for the study of hatred. In September 2018, the Parliament’s Budget Committee voted to freeze 15 million euros of aid money to the Palestinian Ministry of Education. Following the vote, the EU initiated a wide-ranging parliamentary debate on the report, inviting representatives of the Institute to present its findings to the parliament and to hold a confrontation with the Palestinian deputy minister of education.
“After the upcoming European Parliament elections, the Institute will brief new members of the European Commission and other senior officials of the European Commission on the new curriculum of the Palestinian Authority, and will ensure that the EU publishes a fair and meticulous report on the content of the Palestinian books in line with European values.”
Most of the EU’s € 360 million in PEGASE funding are intended for the Palestinian Ministry of Education. In addition, the EU donated $ 178 million last year to UNRWA, and a large part of the funds go to the organization’s schools, which also teach the curriculum of the Palestinian Authority.
