Saudi Arabia modifies school textbooks to moderate rhetoric on Israel

A report by the Israeli organization IMPACT-se indicates that Saudi Arabia is continuing to modify its school textbooks, specifically regarding the portrayal of Israel and Zionism. The analysis shows a trend of moderating previously hostile rhetoric.

Key changes include the removal of the sentence “Muslims will never renounce Jerusalem” from 11th-grade Arabic language textbooks. In history textbooks, the term “Zionist enemy” has been replaced with “Israeli occupation.” Additionally, some social studies textbooks now depict the territory of Israel without explicitly naming it, while the term “Palestine” has been removed in certain instances where it previously covered the entire territory.

While rhetoric regarding Israel is softening, the curriculum maintains a strong emphasis on loyalty to the Saudi state and the authority of its ruler. The textbooks continue to label groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood, Hezbollah, ISIS, Al-Qaeda, and Houthi militias as terrorist and extremist organizations. The Muslim Brotherhood, in particular, is described as a terrorist organization that undermines religious principles to incite unrest.