Khaberni - The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Lebanon has taken a step that sparked a wave of condemnation and popular and institutional rejection, after it deleted the name "Palestine" from parts of the textbooks used in its schools.
The "Palestinian Return Foundation" expressed its deep concern about this action, considering it strips the educational process in refugee camps of its national and nationalistic dimension. The foundation emphasized in a statement that:
Education is not just an administrative matter; it is a fundamental pillar in preserving the collective memory of the Palestinian people.
The decision affects identity: It aims to obscure the Palestinian cause from the perception of the emerging generations in the diaspora.
Palestinian refugees view these amendments as "attempts to fabricate reality" and a precursor to undermining the right of return. Activists affirmed that removing the name "Palestine" represents a denial of the refugees' historical connection to their homeland and comes in the context of international pressures to dissolve the refugee issue.
Calls are currently escalating for Palestinian forces and factions and popular committees in Lebanon to pressure the "UNRWA" administration to reverse this decision and ensure the educational curriculum remains committed to national constants.
