Ministry for Diaspora Affairs | October 2024

9 The following trends have intensified significantly and alarmingly since the massacre led by Hamas on October 7th, 2023. It is important to note that the PA did not condemn the massacre. Furthermore, senior PA and Fatah officials denied the acts, while others claimed they were a “natural response” to Israeli policy. In terms of the educational system, no efforts were made to change the textbooks during the year. 10 Given the significant escalation in Palestinian terrorism and violence, decades of monitoring show that the PA educational system fosters a mindset of war “on standby” for the destruction of Israel and its citizens. 11 The massacre on Oct. 7th could potentially be a turning point in changing the education of hate. 12 The international community, especially Western countries led by the U.S., must stop ignoring the issue and pressure the PA to promote education that values life over a culture of death. The reformed educational system should acknowledge Israel’s right to exist and the presence of the Jewish people in their land and promote a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

13 The international community, particularly the European Union, must take significant, practical steps: • Condition funding for the PA’s educational system on shifting from incitement to war against Israel to education for peace with it. • Establish an effective oversight mechanism to remove content, hints, and illustrations that promote terrorism and antisemitism from educational materials. • Establish oversight of the teaching staff and the Palestinian Teachers’ Union, including in UNRWA schools, to prevent involvement in terrorism and incitement to terrorism. • Increase supervision of the content and funding of supplementary education frameworks, such as summer camps, official social media, higher education, etc., to prevent them from becoming hotbeds for terrorism.

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