Saudis drop ‘Muslims will never give up Jerusalem’ from textbooks

Scholars have welcomed small but important changes to Saudi Arabia’s school textbooks, including the dropping of the phrase “the Muslims will never give up Jerusalem” in Arabic language books used by Year 11 students.

The changes, documented in a July report from the Israel-based organisation, IMPACT-se, have led some observers to declare that a peace deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel cannot be far behind.

That may be a step too far at the moment, but it is certainly true that significant changes have been made to the country’s school textbooks over the last six years.

The IMPACT-se report reviews textbooks published for the 2025-26 school year. It notes that the Saudis have removed “hostile statements” and made changes to content relating to Israel, Jews and Jerusalem as part of the reform drive adopted by the ruling family under Vision 2030.

One of the most notable changes has been made to the Arabic-language textbook for Year 11. The 2023-2024 edition included the sentence, “Muslims will not give up Jerusalem”, but the sentence was removed entirely from editions for the 2024-2025 academic year and onwards.

Language relating to Israel and Jews has been softened, says the report, noting that “Jews and Christians are no longer compared to ‘maimed’ animals in one textbook; Shi’a Muslims and Sufis are no longer described as being ‘of evil nature’ or practising idolatry; and references to the eternal punishment of polytheists and ‘infidels’ have been reduced”. 

However, IMPACT-se notes that “some problematic content remains, particularly regarding atheists, who continue to be portrayed as a source of moral corruption”. 

The report says that “the curriculum continues to condemn radical religious ideologies and extremist groups; the Muslim Brotherhood, Hezbollah, ISIS, al-Qaeda, and the Houthi movement are presented as promoting terrorism and extremism.

“Iran continues to be marginalised in the curriculum, including through implicit criticism in discussions of Saudi intervention against Iran and the Houthis during the Yemeni civil war”.

Nevertheless, Saudi textbooks continue to describe the Second World War without any mention of the Holocaust.

IMPACT-se’s chief executive, British-born Marcus Sheff, said: “Saudi textbooks published for the 2025/26 school year continue the Kingdom’s sustained programme of educational reform, further advancing moderation, coexistence, and critical thinking. 

“Building on reforms documented over the past six years, the latest revisions continue on the same path. The curriculum is now entirely free of antisemitic content, with the final, few remaining examples removed. In fact, the Saudi curriculum has never been more positive in its portrayal of religious minorities or more encouraging of peace and tolerance. The overall trajectory is extremely encouraging and will inevitably contribute to greater regional stability and understanding.”