ByOMRI NAHMIAS
Updated:

WASHINGTON – A bipartisan group of lawmakers reintroduced on Monday the Peace and Tolerance in Palestinian Education Act. The bill requires the Secretary of State to submit a report to Congress reviewing textbooks produced by the Palestinian Authority. Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) sponsored the bill along with Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY), Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) and Rep. David Trone (D-MD).

There are concerns that such textbooks produced by the Palestinian Authority “include language and imagery that encourage violence and hatred toward other nations and ethnic groups,” Sherman said in a statement. “Such content is particularly concerning given the use of such materials in educational settings for children as young as primary school age.”

“The United States has provided millions of dollars to support the education of Palestinian children with the stated goal of equipping Palestinians with the tools to build a democratic, secular, and politically moderate Palestinian civil society as a driver for peace,” Sherman said in a statement. He noted that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has raised concerns about the content of such materials.

“As a result of the GAO’s findings, it is necessary for Congress to request additional reports from the State Department to ensure US taxpayer dollars promote dignity and tolerance, and that the educational materials such schools employ do not incite hatred,” Sherman continued. “Last Congress, this bill passed the Foreign Affairs Committee unanimously. I hope to work with my colleagues to build on this support and secure the passage of this bill in the 117th Congress.”

“We are glad to see Congress raising the alarm about Palestinian educational materials that are antisemitic and contain language delegitimizing Israel as a Jewish and democratic state,” ADL CEO and National Director Jonathan Greenblatt said. “Teaching hateful content in schools is simply inexcusable. The Palestinian Authority must proactively take steps to stop the teaching of intolerance and to advance peace and acceptance – including in its schools,” he added.

The report from the State Department will require the following determination of “whether content and passages encouraging violence or intolerance toward other nations or ethnic groups have been removed from such curriculum,” and an “assessment of the steps the Palestinian Authority is taking to reform such curriculum at schools to conform with standards of peace and tolerance.”

The report will also require the State Department to determine whether United States foreign assistance is used, directly or indirectly, to fund the dissemination of such curriculum by the Palestinian Authority, and a detailed report on how US assistance is being used to address curriculum that encourages violence or intolerance toward other nations or ethnic groups.
The Bill is a result of a report by IMPACT-se, which monitors values of peace and tolerance in textbooks. Its CEO, Marcus Sheff said "The curriculum taught in Palestinian Authority and UNRWA schools eradicates the possibility of peace. This has gone on for far too long. This bill’s welcome reintroduction will send a clear message that Congress will not tolerate the teaching of hate and antisemitism in Palestinian schools."