Congress passes bill requiring annual scrutiny of PA educational materials
(December 19, 2019 / JNS) The U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday unanimously passed a bill which will require the Secretary of State to review Palestinian Authority and United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) educational materials on an annual basis.
The Peace and Tolerance in Palestinian Education Act (H.R. 2343) was introduced by Reps. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) and Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) and co-sponsored by two additional Democrats and two additional Republicans. The legislation is the result of a report by educational watchdog group Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-se).
“The new Palestinian curriculums fail to meet the international standards of peace and tolerance in educational materials established by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization,” the bill states. “Textbooks used by the Palestinian Authority and UNRWA encourage war, and teach children that Palestinian statehood can be achieved through violence.”
“It is unacceptable [that] the [P.A. and UNRWA] textbooks … are used to delegitimize Israel and demonize the Jewish people,” said IMPACT-se CEO Marcus Sheff. “We must demand transparency over the anti-Israel textbooks in this program that are fueling another generation of hate.”
Read more: Jewish News Syndicate