Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the United States and many of our allies have long been concerned about Palestinian textbooks that contain blatant anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist references that incite hatred and violence toward the Jewish people. In May, the European Parliament went so far as to pass a resolution condemning the Palestinian Authority over the hateful content of its textbooks and conditioned future funding for education on the removal of that anti-Semitic material. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency, known as UNRWA, which administers many schools in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, is required by its mandate to use host country books. Let me say that again in another way. UNRWA does not write Palestinian textbooks, the Palestinians do, and UNRWA is required to use the host nation's book under its mandate. The bill before us tasks the Secretary of State to write a report to Congress that reviews the curriculum, including textbooks, leaflets, pamphlets, magazines, and other instructional materials used in UNRWA schools. This report will be important and will help both the Congress and the executive branch understand the full scope of the problems, work to improve these textbooks, and remove the content that is not only untrue but leads to further violence and instability in the region. I will add one more important comment about UNRWA.…”