Textbook row triggers vote to suspend EU funds to Palestinians

MEPs will vote on Wednesday on a resolution to freeze EU funding to the Palestinian Authority amid allegations that its school textbooks promote violence, including by encouraging students to take up arms to ‘liberate’ Palestine from Israel.

Investigations by advocacy groups and independent researchers, such as the Germany-based Georg Eckert Institute, have repeatedly found in recent years that PA textbooks promote violence and antisemitism. Although the PA has promised changes, the revisions have fallen short, according to a new study.

While the European Commission claimed that “tangible progress has been observed” and the PA textbooks were being aligned with UNESCO standards, researchers from Impact-se, a UK-Israel-based institute that examines school materials from around the world, found that changes in textbooks used in the 2025-2026 school year were “very limited, partial, and cosmetic”.

Since 2008, the EU has funnelled  about €3.8 billion to the PA through its…