Saudi Arabia has removed the word “Palestine” from maps in several school textbooks covering internationally recognized Israeli territory as part of latest curriculum revisions, according to a newly released review of the kingdom’s education system and official documents seen by ProPakistani.
The changes are detailed in the Review of Saudi Textbooks 2024–2026, which examined 136 textbooks used during the 2024-25 and 2025-26 academic years.
Zionism and Maps
Saudi authorities have continued revising content related to Israel and Zionism, including the removal of the word “Palestine” from maps in a number of Social Studies textbooks that previously labeled internationally recognized Israeli territory as “Palestine.” The revised maps instead leave the territory unnamed.
Jerusalem, Zionist Enemy, Israeli Occupation
According to the review, the curriculum has also removed the sentence, “The Muslims will never give up Jerusalem,” from a Grade 11 Arabic Language textbook and replaced the phrase “the Zionist enemy” with “the Israeli occupation” in a Grade 11 History textbook. The report describes these revisions as part of a gradual moderation of politically charged language in Saudi textbooks over recent years.
However, the report says the changes stop short of recognizing Israel on classroom maps. It notes that Israel remains absent from many maps. It also states that textbooks are removing phrases regarding Israel as an “occupying state,” including in relation to periods before 1967.
Additional maps have been revised to remove the label “Palestine”. It also highlights the replacement of the term “the Zionist enemy” with “the Israeli occupation” and the removal of the statement, “The Muslims will never give up Jerusalem”.
The report also says the curriculum has undergone significant reforms since 2020, with the removal or revision of a wide range of content across multiple subjects as Saudi Arabia continues to modernize its education system under Vision 2030.
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