On January 24, the world marks World Education Day, an initiative of UNESCO and the United Nations intended to highlight the central role of education in promoting peace, tolerance, and stability among nations.
It is an appropriate moment for global reflection. Precisely on this day, one must state a difficult truth: there is no education for peace in the Palestinian education systems – neither under the Palestinian Authority nor in the Gaza Strip.
The horrific massacre of October 7 did not occur in a vacuum. It was the direct outcome of systematic and sustained incitement, of an educational process that shapes young minds through hatred, the delegitimization of the State of Israel, and the glorification of violence and terrorism.
Education for peace is not an empty slogan. It requires recognition of the legitimacy of the other, the teaching of complex history, the development of critical thinking, and the promotion of dialogue and non-violent conflict resolution.
These core elements are largely absent from the PA’s official curricula, and they are entirely nonexistent in Gaza.
A striking example can be found in Palestinian school textbooks themselves.
In official materials, Jews are often portrayed as a collective enemy devoid of legitimacy. In one mathematics textbook, students are asked to solve exercises based on the number of “martyrs” killed in attacks against Jews.
History and civics textbooks systematically erase Israel from maps and ignore the historical Jewish connection to the land. This is not neutral education; it is the normalization of antisemitism and violence from an early age.
Over the years, international research reports have documented this consistent pattern: the glorification of “martyrs,” the portrayal of terrorism as heroism, and the complete absence of messages promoting coexistence or reconciliation.
Such an education system does not prepare children for responsible civic life; it perpetuates conflict and trains the next generation to continue it.
Gaza’s education crisis
In Gaza, the situation is even more severe. The education system is fully controlled by Hamas – a designated terrorist organization – and has become an ideological and operational tool.
Instead of civic education, children are systematically exposed to indoctrination, hatred, and violence. The atrocities of October 7 were not born overnight; they were taught and internalized over years in classrooms and summer camps.
Against this backdrop, Israel’s decision to shut down UNRWA’s operations is not an arbitrary political act but a necessary moral and defensive step.
UNRWA has deviated from its humanitarian mandate: employees involved in terrorist activities, facilities used for military purposes, and cooperation – by action or by omission – with Hamas and with education systems that promote hatred and violence.
An organization that does not educate for peace cannot continue to operate as if nothing is wrong.
In parallel, the direct responsibility of Qatar and Iran must be acknowledged. These two actors are among the world’s leading promoters of hatred toward Israel.
Qatar, through extensive funding of propaganda networks, educational frameworks, and media outlets, and Iran, as an ideological regime openly committed to Israel’s destruction, play a central role in fueling incitement and violence.
This leads to a clear call to the Supreme Peace Council for Gaza, headed by President Donald Trump: if a different future for Gaza is truly sought, education must be placed at the top of its agenda.
Dismantling terrorist infrastructure is not enough; the infrastructure of hatred must also be dismantled. Without a deep and genuine reform of the education system, there can be no rehabilitation, no stability, and no peace.
On World Education Day, the international community must stop looking away. One cannot speak seriously about peace without demanding education for peace. Peace does not begin at negotiating tables; it begins in the classroom.
Those who refuse to educate for peace cannot be genuine partners for peace.
The writer is a former ambassador and is head of the Israeli School for Young Ambassadors.