The events of October 7 served as a tragic reminder of a long-standing issue that has been ignored for far too long: the radicalisation of Palestinian youth, which begins, all too often, in the classroom. For years, the Palestinian Authority’s education system has faced accusations of inciting hatred and glorifying violence. These concerns are not new. However, as the international community now confronts the horrifying implications of a generation raised on anti-Israel indoctrination, it has become painfully clear that the issue of Palestinian textbooks can no longer be dismissed as a minor detail.
Recently, Luxembourg’s Foreign Minister, Xavier Bettel, took a rare stand, confronting officials from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) over the presence of incitement and glorification of terrorism in Palestinian schoolbooks. In a moment of frustration, Bettel held up a textbook and challenged the official: “UNRWA is not neutral on education if they teach this. It’s in the book… If I want to defend you, help me to defend you.” His remarks encapsulate a problem that has been festering within Palestinian society for years. As long as the education system promotes a culture of hate, any claims of neutrality or innocence by UNRWA and the Palestinian Authority are nothing more than a façade.
IMPACT-se, an organisation that monitors educational content worldwide, has documented anti-Israel indoctrination in Palestinian textbooks for years. The problem isn’t subtle; it is blatant. These books erase Israel from maps, deny any Jewish connection to the land, and glorify “martyrdom” as a noble pursuit. According to IMPACT-se’s CEO, Marcus Sheff, what happened on October 7 is the direct result of an education system that instils hatred and celebrates violence. In his view, tackling the problem at its root requires a complete overhaul of the curriculum—anything less would be a band-aid on a deeply embedded wound.
Beyond the Classroom Walls: A Need for Societal Change
It is, of course, tempting to believe that revising a few textbooks will fix the problem. But as Dr. Michael Milshtein of the Moshe Dayan Center has pointed out, real change will demand more than just altering language on a page. According to Milshtein, Palestinian society needs to engage in the kind of national introspection that Germany undertook after 1945—a genuine reckoning with past actions, ideologies, and goals. The desire to reform, he argues, must come from within Palestinian society, and there is, at present, little evidence of this. Simply removing offensive phrases or violent imagery from textbooks does nothing if the society that reads them remains rooted in enmity and resentment.
In Gaza, where Hamas controls much of the informal education, this challenge is compounded. With over 80% of Gaza’s schools destroyed or turned into makeshift shelters, teaching often takes place in tents under the authority of teachers loyal to Hamas or UNRWA. These teachers remain largely unregulated and free to instil in their students the same glorification of “martyrdom” and jihad. Without a fundamental change in Palestinian society—a willingness to reject the ideology that valorises violence—there is little hope that revised textbooks will make any real difference.
The Role of International Pressure and the Path Forward
For years, the European Parliament and other international bodies have called for reform in Palestinian education, with some conditioning aid on the removal of antisemitic and violent content. But the Palestinian Authority has made only token adjustments, while the essential content of incitement remains intact. This problem has existed for so long that some leaders in East Jerusalem have resorted to placing blank stickers over inflammatory sections of textbooks. The absurdity of this “solution” is evident: Palestinian students reportedly keep two sets of books—one “censored” version for show, and another, unaltered, for the classroom. Such efforts fall laughably short of addressing the real problem.
There are, however, some examples in the region that provide a glimmer of hope. The United Arab Emirates, for example, has introduced Holocaust education into its curriculum, and Saudi Arabia, Morocco, and Egypt have removed antisemitic passages from school materials. These changes demonstrate that where there is political will, reform is possible. But will there be any such will within Palestinian leadership? According to Sheff, “Countries change their curricula because they understand it’s for the good of their society.” Yet the Palestinian Authority has shown little interest in reforming a curriculum that serves its political agenda.
If the international community truly seeks peace, it must recognise the critical role that education plays in shaping future generations. The textbooks Palestinian children read today are the prism through which they view their neighbours tomorrow. A society cannot claim to seek peace while its youngest minds are raised on a steady diet of hate and martyrdom.
The time has come for the world to demand more than hollow promises and superficial changes. Palestinian leaders must be held accountable for an education system that incites hatred rather than hope, violence rather than coexistence. At We Believe in Israel, we believe that the first step towards genuine peace is an education system grounded in truth, tolerance, and respect for all. Anything less is a betrayal of those children and a disservice to the prospects of a future without bloodshed.
Reforming Palestinian education is no longer an option—it is a necessity. Until Palestinian textbooks reflect a commitment to peace, the prospect of peace itself will remain tragically out of reach.
