PA Education Minister: "There is no incitement in our schoolbooks"

Headline: "Saidam: There is no incitement in our schoolbooks, and the occupation is attempting to Israelize them"

"[PA] Minister of Education and Higher Education [and Fatah Central Committee Deputy Secretary] Sabri Saidam again emphasized that the ministry objects to the accusations and claims that the occupation is making against the national schoolbooks, to the attempts to defame them as if they incite, and to the attempt to Israelize them and erase the Palestinian identity. He said this on Sunday [March 3, 2019] during his meeting with a delegation from the European Union, led by [European] Union Representative in Palestine Ralph Tarraf. Present at the meeting were [PA] Deputy Minister [of Education] Basri Saleh [and] Director of the Schoolbook Center Tharwat Zaid…

Saidam emphasized that Israel's claims, according to which the Palestinian schoolbooks incite, are false, as the occupation is leading a poisonous attack in order to harm these schoolbooks. He emphasized that the fact that the ministry lets the European Union carry out a study on the Palestinian schoolbooks proves that the ministry is committed to its established position, according to which its schoolbooks are open to all. This is while Israel objects to any study being made of its schoolbooks, which are filled with incitement.

He pointed out the occupation's recurring violations and attacks against the Palestinian people, [and] the education sector and education community in particular, including the murder and arrest of students and attacks against educational institutions. He also emphasized that these violations stem from the incitement rooted in the occupation's schoolbooks…

Saidam said that the national schoolbooks strengthen the students’ awareness and ideal human values, in contradiction of the accusations that the occupation attempts to falsely accuse them of…

He responded to many questions regarding the national schoolbooks… and called to examine the occupation's schoolbooks in order to understand the scope of the incitement in them."

Sabri Saidam also holds the positions of Fatah Revolutionary Council Deputy Secretary and PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ advisor for communications and information technology.