The European Parliament passed a resolution on Wednesday condemning Palestinian Authority (PA) school textbooks for promoting antisemitism and inciting violence.
The resolution calls for EU funding to Ramallah to be frozen until substantial reforms are made, including the removal of the offending material. It marks the sixth consecutive year the EU Parliament has criticised the PA curriculum.
This year, lawmakers pointed to a recent study revealing that an online curriculum produced by the PA for pupils in Gaza continued to glorify terrorism and “martyrdom” and included antisemitic tropes – despite repeated promises from the PA to revise its educational materials.
The resolution passed with a broad majority and places renewed pressure on the European Commission, the EU’s executive body, to enforce a funding freeze agreed upon last year.
That deal made continued aid conditional on textbook reform – reforms that have yet to materialise without consequence.
Lawmakers singled out examples of content promoting hatred and glorifying terrorists, accusing the Palestinian curriculum of violating basic principles of coexistence and peace education.
The JC reported in March that students in Gaza learned maths by counting “dead martyrs” and were taught that jihad is the “peak of Islam” while history books labelled the current state of Israel as “Palestine” in its entirety.
“Palestinian textbooks should not promote violence, incite hatred or spread antisemitism,” said Niclas Herbst of Germany’s CDU party. “It is our responsibility to ensure that European taxpayer money promotes coexistence, respect for human rights and mutual understanding.”
In a parallel move, parliamentarians also urged the EU to reconsider its aid partnerships in Gaza, suggesting funds be redirected away from the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) – which has been accused by Israel of having ties to terrorist activity – and toward alternative humanitarian organisations.
“We will not turn away when children are exposed to hatred and division,” said Sabrina Repp of Germany’s SDP. “We have a duty to ensure that Palestinian textbooks no longer teach antisemitism or glorify terror.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar welcomed the decision, urging the European Union to "heed the voices of Europe’s elected representatives." In a post on X, he added: "Ending incitement that poisons the minds of the young generation is a must."
