Ministry for Diaspora Affairs | October 2024

Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Antisemitism and Indoctrination Promoting the Destruction of Israel in Teachers’ Union Statements

The General Union of Palestinian Teachers (GUPT) is a Palestinian organization represented in the Palestinian National Council. The PLO established the union in 1969 15 as a professional trade union body named the General Union of Teachers in Palestine, serving as a professional framework for teachers in the Palestinian diaspora, Judea and Samaria, and Gaza. Among its founders were Abu Mazen and Salah Khalaf, and in its early years, it primarily operated in the form of committees for Palestinian teachers in Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Libya, Syria, Lebanon, Kuwait, and Iraq. 16 The union represents five independent sectors: teachers working in the government sector, workers in private schools and private kindergartens, workers in UNRWA’s education sector, workers in Palestinian universities and higher education institutions, and Palestinian teachers in the Middle East. 17 Incitement and Delegitimization of Israel Among the objectives of the association in the international arena: 18

• “Documenting relations with friendly associations and organizations to fight Zionism and global imperialism.” • “Exposing the methods of Israeli occupation at the Arab and international levels; expanding the boycott against the occupying state and combating normalization in all its forms.” 19

The union and its Secretary-General, Saed Erziqat, have shared content that encourages terrorism and demonization of Israel, particularly since the massacre on October 7. For example, on October 10, just days after the massacre, the union issued an official statement effectively supporting Hamas’s actions. 20

15 About Us | General Union of Palestinian Teachers (archive.org) 16 https://did.li/eyxIw 17 للأنباء وطن وكالة - الانتخابات لإتمام واضح زمني بإطار وتطالب " المعلمين اتحاد " أنظمة على تعديلات بإقرار ترحب المستقلة الهيئة (wattan.net) 18 الفلسطينية التحرير منظمة - الرسالة و الرؤية (www.plo.ps) 19 PLO Official Website 20 https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=629334456067358&set=a.558455056488632&locale=ar_AR

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