Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the most effective ways to avoid educational materials with hateful content funded by the UK being produced for Palestinian children.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
It is essential to have a strong and thriving Palestinian education system to provide opportunities for the next generation. We have been clear that incitement to hatred or violence is unacceptable from all parties and should have no place in education. We will continue to raise concerns about this with the Palestinian Authority (PA) and continue to urge all parties to condemn incitement wherever and whenever it occurs.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made for the implications of his policies of the finding by the review commissioned by the EU of the content of Palestinian Authority school textbooks that those textbooks encourage and glorify violence against Israelis and Jews.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
We have been clear that incitement to hatred or violence is unacceptable from all parties and should have no place in education. This report on Palestinian textbooks highlights progress in key areas, but also indicates that anti-Israel content remains. We will continue to raise concerns about this with the Palestinian Authority, and continue to urge all parties to condemn incitement wherever and whenever it occurs.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the European Commission on the publication date of the EU-funded review of the content of Palestinian Authority school textbooks.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The Georg Eckert Institute, who were commissioned by the EU to undertake a review into Palestinian textbooks published the final report on 18 June 2021. The UK engaged closely with our European partners to urge publication. The review is publicly accessible on their website: www.gei.de/en/departments/knowledge-in-transition/analysis-of-palestinian-textbooks-paltex.html
Asked by: Craig Tracey (Conservative - North Warwickshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress has been made on the international review into the content of Palestinian Authority school textbooks.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
We understand the review is in the final stages and the final report is due to be completed shortly. We continue to engage with the EU at a senior level and push for timely publication. We will review the findings carefully before deciding on any next steps.
Asked by: Marco Longhi (Conservative - Dudley North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent progress has been made on the international review of the content of Palestinian Authority school textbooks.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
We understand the review is in the final stages and the final report is due to be completed shortly. We continue to engage with the EU at a senior level and push for timely publication. We will review the findings carefully before deciding on any next steps.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of their Memorandum of Understanding with the Palestinian Authority, following the publication of the report by IMPACT-se Review of UNRWA-Produced Study Materials in the Palestinian Territories, published in January, which found the reported use of inciteful material in educational textbooks used by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in Gaza Strip and West Bank schools.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are aware of the IMPACT-se report and have contacted United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) regarding this issue. We understand that once the issue was identified, UNRWA introduced additional quality assurance processes and will continue to develop new systems to ensure lessons taught by UNRWA are in line with UN values. The UK Government strongly condemns all forms of violence and incitement to violence and will continue to monitor UNRWA's implementation of its curriculum framework and self-learning materials to ensure lessons taught by UNRWA are in line with UN values. We use a variety of tools to monitor the UNRWA performance and ensure it continues to deliver quality services including via programme monitoring and annual assessments. We have a regular dialogue with both the Palestinian Authority and the Government of Israel in which we reiterate the need for both sides to prepare their populations for peaceful coexistence, including by promoting a more positive portrayal of one another to contribute to building the conditions needed for peace.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the decision by the governments of Canada and Australia to investigate their contributions to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency because of its reported use of inciteful material in educational textbooks; and what plans they have to establish their own investigation.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are aware of the IMPACT-se report and have contacted United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) regarding this issue. We understand that once the issue was identified, UNRWA introduced additional quality assurance processes and will continue to develop new systems to ensure lessons taught by UNRWA are in line with UN values. The UK Government strongly condemns all forms of violence and incitement to violence and will continue to monitor UNRWA's implementation of its curriculum framework and self-learning materials to ensure lessons taught by UNRWA are in line with UN values. We use a variety of tools to monitor the UNRWA performance and ensure it continues to deliver quality services including via programme monitoring and annual assessments. We have a regular dialogue with both the Palestinian Authority and the Government of Israel in which we reiterate the need for both sides to prepare their populations for peaceful coexistence, including by promoting a more positive portrayal of one another to contribute to building the conditions needed for peace.
Asked by: Jonathan Lord (Conservative - Woking)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent progress has been made on the international review of the content of Palestinian Authority school textbooks.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
We understand the EU are now moving towards the final reporting stage of the study. To ensure that the final report is thorough, the study has been extended to include a sample of textbooks the Palestinian Authority introduced for school year 2020-21. We have regular discussions with our European Partners on the review and we continue to encourage them to finalise the report as soon as possible.
Asked by: Wayne David (Labour - Caerphilly)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 8 December 2020 to Question 126811, on Palestinians: Radicalism, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) possible timeline for the Palestinian Authority's revision of educational textbooks and (b) the potential effect of those revisions on affairs in that region.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
We understand that the Palestinian Authority (PA) has already updated textbooks for grades 1-6 and hopes to update the remaining textbooks as soon as possible. The independent review of the content in Palestinian textbooks led by our European partners will include a sample of these textbooks introduced for school year 2020-21. We expect the study to be complete in the near future and will study its findings carefully. The UK will continue to engage with the PA on their plans to revise the remaining textbooks for grades seven and above.
Asked by: Wayne David (Labour - Caerphilly)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions officials in his Department have had with their EU counterparts on the Georg Eckert Institute review of Palestinian textbooks; and when the findings of that review will be published.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK remains in close dialogue with our European partners regarding the ongoing review of Palestinian textbooks, including urging them to complete the review as soon as possible. We understand the EU are now moving towards the final reporting stage of the study and we expect the review to be completed in the near future. The UK has repeatedly lobbied the EU to push for publication, but this is ultimately a decision for the EU.