Saudi Arabia softens stance toward Israel in new school curriculum, study finds

Saudi Arabia’s education authorities have reportedly softened the Kingdom’s stance on Israel and Zionism in new school textbooks, amid the growing path toward normalisation of relations between Riyadh and Tel Aviv in recent years.

According to a study published last week by the non-profit company, IMPACT-se, which monitors educational curricula in countries throughout the Middle East and North Africa regions, textbooks in Saudi Arabia for the 2023-2024 school year have revised their general stance toward Israel and Zionism, such as no longer teaching that the ideology is a “racist” European movement.

Although references to the “Israeli occupation” can still be found in the textbooks and Saudi Arabia’s commitment to the Palestinian cause is still emphasised, the curriculum reportedly no longer identifies Israel as an “enemy state” or adversary. Additionally, although maps in the curriculum do not display the name “Israel”, the name “Palestine” has also been removed despite previously identifying the entirety of Palestine on its maps.

Other discoveries made by the study include alleged anti-Semitic references and teachings no longer being present in the Kingdom’s curriculum, as well as the removal of content portraying concepts such as martyrdom and jihad and, instead, replacing it with interpretations prioritising inner jihad and the struggle to overcome one’s own self.

According to the Times of Israel newspaper, Nimrod Goren – the head of Mitvim, the Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies – hailed it as “a small step that shows a change of narrative towards Israel, and showcases more tolerance and openness”. The Saudi curriculum’s revision “indicates that if the Saudis are heading towards normalisation, they are doing it all in line with the model of the UAE and Bahrain”, which normalised relations with Tel Aviv around four years ago under the Abraham Accords.

“The process resembles what the UAE and Bahrain were doing in the decade before the Abraham Accords, a very slow, gradual move that reflects tolerance and normalisation of engagement, making it a more routine in terms of public perception”, Goren stated.

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