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Akbar Novruz

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Saudi Arabia has removed the phrase “Muslims will never give up Jerusalem” from school textbooks, in what Israeli research organisation IMPACT-se (Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education) described as a significant shift in the way Islam, Palestine and Israel are presented in the country’s educational curriculum.

According to the organisation, the phrase suggested that Muslim control or presence in Jerusalem was under threat and could frame the city as a continuing site of conflict between Muslims and other groups, particularly Israel.

IMPACT-se also highlighted the removal of several passages from the Quran and Hadith. Among them was a Hadith describing the Prophet Muhammad visiting a sick Jewish boy who subsequently converted to Islam.

The organisation’s analysis also examined changes to maps and terminology used in Saudi textbooks. It said earlier editions had omitted Israel from maps and depicted the entire territory as Palestine.

According to the report, the label “Palestine” was removed from Saudi school textbooks for the 2024 and 2025 academic years.

IMPACT-se welcomed the changes, arguing that they reflect a broader transformation in Saudi Arabia’s approach to teaching about Israel, Palestine and relations between Muslims and Jews.

The changes come amid a wider evolution in Saudi-Israeli relations and Riyadh’s diplomatic engagement with Washington and other regional actors, although Saudi Arabia continues to condition any formal normalisation with Israel on progress toward Palestinian statehood.