Anger over a UK probe into Israeli schoolbooks

LABOUR FRIENDS of Israel has called it “shameful” that a government review into Palestinian textbooks — that teach children antisemitism and are partly funded by British aid money -— will also investigate Israeli textbooks.

Middle East Minister Alistair Burt announced a “rigorous and independent review” of Palestinian Authority (PA) textbooks in July, after it was revealed Britain was paying more than £20m annually in aid towards a curriculum criticised for inciting pupils to become jihadists and martyrs.

But leaked conversations between Mr Burt and a non-UK based pro-Israeli advocate revealed the review would include an assessment of Israeli textbooks, even though Britain does not fund them.

Labour Friends of Israel chair Joan Ryan wrote to Mr Burt expressing her “surprise” at the scope of the review. She wrote: “I’m not aware of evidence of any widespread incitement in Israeli textbooks.”

LFI director Jennifer Gerber said: “Instead of helping […] bring the two sides together, the Department for International Development is providing the PA with blank cheques so that it can continue […] inciting terror.”

Last month, Mr Burt said the PA had “taken action to help address concerns”, including “piloting new textbooks”.

But, according to research by the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-se), there have been no major changes in the school year that began in September. PA textbooks continue to teach five-year-olds the words for “martyr” and “attack”, while teenagers are told that self-sacrifice will be rewarded with “72 virgin brides in paradise”.

IMPACT-se chief executive Marcus Sheff said: “The Israel curriculum, while not being perfect, meets Unesco-derived standards of peace and tolerance. It identifies peace as the ultimate goal.”