Sens. John Kennedy (R-La.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) have proposed a new law in response to reports that educators for the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) had taught bigotry to their students.
Titled “The Peace and Tolerance in Palestinian Education Act,” the legislation introduced on Jan. 31 would oblige the U.S. Secretary of State to provide regular reports to Congress about what Palestinian students are learning.
Reports would include reviews of whether the curriculum encourages violence; an analysis of the Palestinian Authority’s efforts to reform the curriculum; determinations if any taxpayer dollars are funding materials taught; and summaries of diplomatic efforts in these areas.
“The Palestinian people suffer because of Hamas and its radical ideology,” said Kennedy before describing how the bill “would ensure that not a single U.S. taxpayer dollar goes to schools that teach young children the same hate that inspired the Oct. 7 attacks against Israel.”
Kennedy had previously put forward the bill in 2021.