Deletion of "Palestine" from UNRWA curricula in Lebanon sparks widespread anger

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Lebanon has taken a step that has sparked a wave of public and institutional disapproval and rejection, after it removed the name "Palestine" from parts of the textbooks used in its schools.

The "Palestinian Return Foundation" expressed its deep concern over this measure, considering it to strip the educational process in refugee camps of its national dimension. The foundation emphasized in a statement that:

Education is not just an administrative matter: rather, it is a fundamental pillar in preserving the collective memory of the Palestinian people.

The decision affects identity: as it aims to obscure the Palestinian issue from the awareness of the nascent generations in the diaspora.

Palestinian refugees view these amendments as "attempts to falsify reality" and a prelude to the abrogation of the right of return. Activists affirmed that the deletion of the name "Palestine" represents a denial of the historical link of refugees to their homeland, and comes in the context of international pressure to liquidate the refugee issue.

Calls are currently escalating for Palestinian forces, factions, and popular committees in Lebanon to pressure the UNRWA administration to reverse this decision and ensure that the educational curriculum preserves national constants.