EU Parliament condemns UNRWA for 'hate speech and violence' taught in PA schools
Resolution insists aid be conditioned on removal of hateful content, compliance with UN values
The European Parliament on Wednesday adopted a resolution condemning the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) for teaching hate and violence in Palestinian Authority (PA) schools.
The resolution expresses concern "about the hate speech and violence taught in Palestinian school textbooks and used in schools by UNRWA" and insists that financial aid be conditioned on the removal of educational materials that promote hatred and incitement to violence.
"This is a really important step in the fight to prevent UNRWA from inciting many thousands of children every school-day to violence, extremism and antisemitism," Marcus Sheff, CEO of IMPACT-se, a non-profit organization that monitors the content of school textbooks, said in reaction to the resolution being adopted.
The legislation passed despite lobbying efforts against it by UNRWA and the PA, including Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh appearing in front of the parliament’s Committee of Foreign Affairs a week before the vote.
Last year, the EU passed three similar resolutions calling out the PA for not removing hateful materials from its textbooks used by UNRWA in the Palestinian education system.
Norwegian lawmakers in December 2020 voted to cut the financial assistance to the PA over antisemitic outbursts and incitement to violence in its educational materials.