Activities held at Qatari summer camps sponsored by Qatar's Education Ministry and the Ministry of Sports and Youth feature a map of Palestine from the river to the sea painted in the colors of the Palestinian flag, and present cities inside Israel, such as Haifa and Jaffa, as part of Palestine, while ignoring Israel's existence.
It should be mentioned that this is not the first time Qatar's education system has promoted anti-Israel content that presents Israeli cities as Palestinian. Such content was evident, for example, in activities in solidarity with the Palestinians held in Qatari kindergartens and schools since the outbreak of the current war in Gaza.[1] The phenomenon is also prevalent in Qatar's higher education system. For example, an art exhibition opened in November 2023 at Qatar University featured maps of Palestine from the river to the sea. An October 2023 rally in solidarity with the children of Gaza organized by the "Education above All" foundation, headed by Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, the mother of the Qatari Emir, featured a board bearing the slogan "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free," which calls for Israel's demise.[2] In December 2023 Qatar University inaugurated a garden shaped like a map of Palestine from the river to the sea, which included Israeli cities such as Jaffa, Acre and Beersheba.[3]
The following are examples of the activities in this year's summer camps in Qatar that presented Israeli cities as part of Palestine.
Haifa, Jaffa Under The Caption "Palestine Will Stay Free"
A video posted on July 9, 2024 on the X account of Qatar's Education and Higher Education Ministry showed "activities held at the state-school summer centers in collaboration with the Ministry of Sports and Youth." A board set up at one of the centers bears names and pictures of cities inside Israel, such as Haifa and Jaffa, beneath the caption "Palestine Will Stay Free." Another board features a map of Palestine from the river to the sea with the Palestinian flag superimposed upon it, which children are invited to color in with their fingerprints. A child is seen adding his thumbprint to upper part of the map, representing the Galilee in northern Israel.[4]
Pictures and names of cities in Israel under the caption "Palestine Will Stay Free"
Girl adds her thumbprint to a map of Palestine from the river to the sea with the Palestinian flag superimposed on it
Youth Activity Sponsored By Qatar's Ministry of Sports And Youth Presents Haifa As Part Of Palestine
The summer camp of the Young Leadership Academy at the Barzan Youth Center in Doha, sponsored by the Ministry of Sports and Youth, devoted a day to "Palestine and getting to know its cities and their Islamic history." During the activity the participants were divided into four groups named after cities, including Haifa, which is inside Israel.[5]
Poster presenting the activity on Palestine at the Barzan Youth Center (X.com/Barzaangirls, July 3, 2024)
Banner representing the "Haifa group" at the activity (Instagram.com/barzancenter, July 4, 2024)
[1] See MEMRI Inquiry & Analysis Series No. 1730 - Antisemitic And Anti-Israel Content In Qatar's Education System: Jews Are Enemies Of Allah; Palestine Stretches From The River To The Sea – December 11, 2023.
[2] See MEMRI Inquiry & Analysis Series No. 1730 - Antisemitic And Anti-Israel Content In Qatar's Education System: Jews Are Enemies Of Allah; Palestine Stretches From The River To The Sea – December 11, 2023.
[3] See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 11057 - Qatar University Inaugurates Garden Shaped Like Map Of Palestine From River To Sea, Including Cities Inside Israel, Such As Jaffa, Acre, Beersheba – January 3, 2023.
[4] X.com/Qatar_Edu, July 9, 2024.
[5] X.com/Barzaangirls, July 3, 2024.
[6] https://x.com/Barzaangirls, 3.7.2024
