His Excellency Mahmoud Abbas
President of the Palestinian Authority

Your Excellency:

At a time when there is renewed hope in the region, we are extremely troubled by reports that a new Palestinian school textbook refers to the anti-Semitic forgery, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, as a true historical source.

The book, History of the Modern Contemporary World, claims that the first Zionist Congress, which convened in 1897 in Basel, Switzerland, issued a group of confidential resolutions entitled The Protocols of the Wise Men of Zion, the goal of which was world domination.

This textbook clearly sends a dangerous message that is contrary to the process of reconciliation between Palestinians and Israelis.

There have been reports that some efforts have been made by the Palestinian Authority to reexamine what is being taught in the Palestinian education system. The reference to The Protocols as historical fact, however, undermines the credibility of claims to reform the Palestinian school system.

We urge the Palestinian Authority to take immediate steps to remove this textbook and change what is being taught in Palestinian schools.