Asked by: Lord Polak (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which textbooks are used by the teachers in the Palestinian Territories that are funded by UK aid.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK does not fund textbooks in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Our education funding to the Palestinian Authority (PA) contributes to the salaries of carefully vetted teachers. Teachers in PA schools teach the Palestinian curriculum. Following allegations of incitement in the PA’s school textbooks, the UK secured agreement from our European partners to lead an independent review of the textbooks which is underway. We expect interim findings in Spring 2020 and full findings later in the year.
Asked by: Lord Pickles (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether UK aid supports the Palestinian Authority’s production of school textbooks.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK does not fund textbooks in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Our education funding to the PA contributes to the salaries of carefully vetted education public servants, including teachers. Following allegations of incitement in the Palestinian Authority’s school textbooks, the UK secured agreement from our European partners to lead an independent review of the textbooks, which is underway. We expect interim findings by June 2020 and full findings later in the year.
Asked by: Jack Lopresti (Conservative - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent discussions he has had with her Norwegian counterpart on that country's decision in 2019 to withhold funding to the Palestinian Authority if extremist content is not removed by the Palestinian Authority’s from the school curriculum; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK government is deeply concerned about the allegations of incitement in the Palestinian Authority’s school textbooks. The International Development Secretary reiterated our concerns in a call to the Palestinian Authority’s Education Minister just last month.
The UK has been at the forefront of international action to get to the bottom of the allegations. We funded work to develop the methodology for an independent textbook Review sponsored by our European partners. We expect an interim report in June, with a full report later in the year. The UK has regular discussions with our European partners on the Review. I have not had specific discussions with my Norwegian counterpart on this issue.
Asked by: Jonathan Gullis (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent North)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of the compliance with Article 29 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child of the reported use of Palestinian Authority school textbooks containing antisemitic and extremist content.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK government is deeply concerned about the allegations of incitement in Palestinian Authority’s school textbooks. The International Development Secretary reiterated our concerns in a call to the Palestinian Authority’s Education Minister just last month.
The UK has been at the forefront of international action to get to the bottom of the allegations. We funded work to develop the methodology for an independent textbook Review sponsored by our European partners. We expect an interim report in June, with a full report later in the year. We have regular discussions with our European Partners on the Review.
Asked by: Scott Benton (Independent - Blackpool South)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate she has made of the amount of UK funding to the UN Relief and Works Agency that was disbursed on education using Palestinian Authority approved textbooks in the latest period for which figures are available.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
In 2018/19 DFID provided £65.5 million to UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) including £47.5 million to UNRWA’s programme budget, which includes their education programme. On average UNRWA spends 58% of this budget on education enabling UNRWA to educate more than 533,000 children, half of whom are girls. Around 325,000 children attend schools in Gaza and the West Bank.
Asked by: Stephen Crabb (Conservative - Preseli Pembrokeshire)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent discussions she has had with his EU counterparts on the forthcoming publication of the Georg Eckert Institute for International Textbook Research’s preliminary report into Palestinian Authority school textbooks undertaken on behalf of the EU; and what representations she has made on publishing that report.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK government is deeply concerned about allegations of incitement in Palestinian Authority’s school textbooks. We funded work to develop the methodology for an independent textbook Review sponsored by our European partners. We expect an interim report by June, with a full report later in the year. We have regular discussions with our European Partners on the Review. The issue was most recently raised on 18 February by the UK Consul General Jerusalem with the EU Representative in Jerusalem.
Asked by: Lord Turnberg (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of school books published by the Palestinian Authority containing incitement to hatred and violence.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK government is deeply concerned about allegations of incitement in the Palestinian Authority’s school textbooks. The UK secured EU agreement to lead an independent review of the textbooks which is underway. We expect interim findings by June 2020 and full findings later in the year.
The International Development Secretary reiterated our concerns in a call to the Palestinian Authority’s Education Minister just last month.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will publish the (a) outcomes and (b) recommendations of the planned EU review of Palestinian textbooks.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK government is deeply concerned about allegations of incitement in Palestinian Authority’s school textbooks; and secured an independent EU-funded review of the textbooks which is underway. We expect interim findings to be due by June 2020 and full findings later in the year. We continue to encourage the EU to publish the report.
The International Development Secretary reiterated our concerns in a call to the Palestinian Authority’s Education Minister just last month.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she has made an assessment of the implications for her policies of the September 2019 report by the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education on the content of school textbooks published by the Palestinian Authority; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK government is deeply concerned about the allegations of incitement in Palestinian Authority’s school textbooks in the report published by the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education in September 2019.
At the UK’s insistence, the EU agreed to fund an independent review of the textbooks which is underway. We expect interim findings to be due in Spring 2020 and full findings later in the year. The International Development Secretary reiterated our concerns in a call to the Palestinian Authority’s Education Minister just last month.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, when it is planned to publish the findings of the review established by her Department, the Georg Eckert Institute for International Textbook Research and other international partners of the books included in the Palestinian Authority’s school curriculum.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK government is deeply concerned about allegations of incitement in Palestinian Authority’s school textbooks. The UK secured EU agreement to commission the Georg Eckert Institute to conduct an independent review of the textbooks, which is underway. We expect interim findings by June 2020 and full findings later in the year.
We continue to encourage the EU to publish the findings. The International Development Secretary reiterated our concerns in a call to the Palestinian Authority’s Education Minister just last month.