A government review of Palestinian school textbooks that was supposed to be completed this month has only just begun.
The review into incitement and antisemitism in Palestinian textbooks was announced six months ago amid concern British aid money was funding a curriculum that allegedly incites violence against Israelis.
The Department for International Development (DfID) announced the review with the European Union and said that it would be complete by September 2019.
It also announced that the Georg Eckert Institute - a leading international institute for analysing education media based in Germany - had been commissioned to produce an initial scoping report to expedite the full review.
But a delay was caused by contractual disputes with the reviewing institute as well as a Palestinian cabinet reshuffle.
DFID said that there had been “some delays” and the report was now likely to be finished in 2020.
A spokesman said: “After some delays, the EU has now started work on the review.
“This independent review, which has strong international support, will identify where action needs to be taken and help ensure children get a quality education.”
The spokesman said that the UK government was “deeply concerned about allegations relating to the Palestinian Authority’s new curriculum. Antisemitism, violence and hate have no place in any society.”
The UK will donate £125 million to the PA by 2021 with £20 million of the total budget spent on education.
DfID said UK aid was helping to provide quality education for children in the West Bank, including by paying the salaries of specially vetted teachers.
The department disputed reports that UK aid funds the writing or provision of textbooks by the PA, and claims everything given to the PA is subject to safeguards to ensure aid is used for its intended purpose.
Labour Friends of Israel has been behind repeated calls for the government to look into the “scandal” of British money being used to fund a curriculum which incites the murder of Israelis and circulates antisemitic material to children.
In January LFI vice-chair Dame Louise Ellman told the House of Commons that young Palestinian minds were currently “being poisoned” and “the opportunity for Britain to help promote the values of peace, reconciliation and coexistence squandered.”
