Israel ‘distorting’ curricula in East Jerusalem schools

Palestinian Education Minister Sabri Saidam on Thursday accused Israel of "distorting" the curricula used at Palestinian schools in occupied East Jerusalem.

"The Israeli authorities have printed and distributed distorted versions of the curricula used at schools overseen by Israel's Jerusalem municipality," Saidam said at a press conference held at the ministry's Ramallah headquarters.

"The [Israeli] occupation authorities have deleted Palestinian symbols -- including the flag -- from all the textbooks," the minister said.

"They also deleted much of the text, replacing it with material that supports a pro-Israel historical narrative," he added.

At Thursday's press conference, Saidam also announced the launch of a national campaign aimed at combating Israeli attempts to distort Palestinian school curricula.

Israel, which has occupied East Jerusalem since 1967, has been accused in the past of seeking to impose its own educational curricula on Palestinian schools in the occupied territories.