May 14, 2020 — Brussels, Belgium
AJC Transatlantic Institute applauded the European Parliament for condemning the Palestinian Authority’s failure to act against incitement in textbooks, insisting that educators receiving EU-funds abide by UNESCO standards against hate, and calling on the EU’s executive body to ensure funds promote peace and tolerance in schools.
“The European Parliament deserves praise for calling out the Palestinian Authority’s systematic incitement in school textbooks. By putting both Ramallah and the EU Commission on notice, lawmakers took a clear stand against EU funds being misused to poison the minds of young Palestinians,” said Daniel Schwammenthal, Director of American Jewish Committee’s (AJC's) EU office, the AJC Transatlantic Institute. “Palestinian incitement remains one of the main obstacles to a negotiated two-solution with Israel.”
This parliamentary report scrutinizes EU spending for the financial year 2018. Drafted by German EPP lawmaker and member of the legislature’s budgetary control committee Monika Hohlmeier, the text stated: “Is concerned that problematic material in Palestinian school textbooks has still not been removed and is concerned about the continued failure to act effectively against hate speech and violence in school textbooks.”
The report further urges the Commission “to ensure that all third entities only use Union funds to provide for textbooks and teaching material that reflect common values and fully comply with UNESCO standards promoting peace, tolerance and co-existence in school education.”
“It’s especially thanks to the critical research by IMPACT-se that rampant anti-Israel and anti-Jewish incitement in Palestinian Authority schools – funded by EU taxpayers – has been exposed,” Schwammenthal added.
