The European parliament on Thursday, voted to condemn UNRWA and the Palestinian Authority for their schoolbooks and learning material, claiming that they led to the October 7 massacre by Hamas and the war in Gaza. "Educating to hate has direct and dramatic consequences," Parliament said referring to the "heinous terror attacks perpetrated by Hamas."
The vote that passed in the parliament's plenum demanded that the EU freeze its funding of Palestinian education until the books are "free from antisemitism and incitement to violence," and added that the funding must be conditioned on full compliance with UNISCO standards of peace and tolerance. It also demanded that funding be carefully monitored if it is directly or indirectly linked to problematic learning material.
One of the resolutions called for funds to diverted from UNRWA to more reliable partners such as the World Health Organization and UNICEF, following concerning reliable reporting on UNRWA staff being members of Hamas and participating in the October 7 massacre.
The European Parliament also voted down three attempts to add to its resolution wording that hails UNRWA's efforts and its managerial conduct that promise neutrality and independence and describes its staff as "victims of an ongoing humanitarian tragedy."
This is the fifth year in a row that the European lawmakers have voted to specifically condemn the Palestinian education and its misuse of EU funds in order to teach violence and antisemitism, in its review of how tax payer funds are being invested.
But in an unprecedented turn, the decisions adopted by the parliament came from the center-left liberal Renew Europe Party and not from the more right-wing lawmakers, which helped gather the supporting votes from across the political spectrum.
The decision of the parliament was based on research presented to it by IMPACT-se, showing UNRWA and PA school material that was published after October 7 as well as in recent years. The study showed proof from inside Gaza schools, of long-years of incitement, contrary to claims from UNRWA and the PA. IMPACT-se also showed its studies revealed that more than 100 graduates of UNRWA schools had joined the military wing of Hamas and had murdered Israelis.
Catherine Colonna, the head of the UN Review Group to examine UNRWA's conduct, requested material from IMPACT-se that show the incitement in the organization's schools. Her report is due to be published on April 20.