Exclusive: Days after October 7, NEU teachers shared lesson plan asking pupils if they would ‘fight back’ if they lived in Gaza

The document, entitled "How can educators teach about Palestine?" is emblazoned with both the NEU logo and the red, green and black Palestinian flag, bearing the words ‘Free Palestine’.

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It begins with the notorious slogan “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”, which is widely understood as invalidating the legitimacy of the entire state of Israel.

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Elsewhere in the documents:

• Pupils are asked if Israeli military actions amount to “terrorism”;

• Critics of Israel are said to fear being labelled antisemitic if they speak out;

• Staff are told to avoid an intercommunal peace group recommended by the “notoriously racist” Home Office;

• A branch motion justifies “struggle… by all available means, including armed struggle”.

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The revelations come after the Education Secretary has already announced a review into antisemitism in schools.

The Jewish Leadership Council (JLC) said the newly disclosed documents “appear to justify Hamas’s murderous attack” and accused the NEU of playing a “key role” in rising antisemitism in schools.

Urging the Government to act over the “abhorrent” material, Shadow education secretary Laura Trott said: “Teachers who push this rhetoric have no place in our classrooms, and no educational material should ever contain it.”

A PowerPoint document titled “What is happening in Gaza”, opens with the slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” adding that “a free Palestine would also free Israeli citizens from racist government propaganda, free them from the trauma of conscription into the IDF and maybe even free them from capitalism and wage slavery.”

The presentation moves on to a section framed around human cost. “All human life is of great value,” it states, before adding: “What matters is the number of people who suffer and die.”

The next slide, dated October 18, presents Al Jazeera’s “latest casualty figures”, listing 1,400 people killed in Israel compared with 3,478 killed in Palestine, with no mention of Israeli hostages.

Pupils are introduced to the concept of “apartheid” and told: “Palestinian citizens of Israel are not equal to other citizens. They cannot vote, cannot travel freely, are treated differently by the police and military and do not have equal rights.”

“People in Gaza are not officially allowed in or out,” the slide states, before asking pupils to imagine what it would be like “to live in Gaza” and “What would be your options if you were in Gaza?”

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Three suggestions are offered: “escape”, “non-violent protest” or a “political solution”; but the slide states that none of these had worked in the past.

“A political solution will need to happen one day but that doesn’t solve the situation of the Gazans right now,” the presentation states, before suggesting: “You could fight back with violence?”

The following slide introduces Hamas and the events of October 7. Pupils are told that “trying to understand why someone chooses to do something bad is not the same as condoning it”, likening understanding Hamas’s actions to a bully.

Hamas is described as “a powerful group in Gaza with a view that armed conflict is the best way to solve the issues Palestinians face”.

On October 7, “fighters from Hamas managed to escape the fence and attack Israelis in different contexts,” it states, noting the day marked “by far the biggest attack on Israeli civilians for decades”.

“Is this terrorism?” pupils are asked.

Attention then shifts to Israel’s response. Pupils are told the Israeli government “have dropped thousands of bombs on Gaza”, and this could be "equivalent to a quarter of a nuclear explosion.”

The presentation claims Palestinians have been murdered by Israeli settlers “with no legal consequences”, alleges reports of white phosphorus use by Israel, and accuses Israeli officials of employing “dehumanising language about Palestinians, often a precursor to genocide”.

At this point, pupils are asked if the actions of the Jewish state amount to terrorism.

The slides then turn to Western involvement, telling pupils that Israel is a “strategic ally” in an oil-rich region, the US gives Israel billions in aid, and the UK sells it weapons. “Many western governments can act in an Islamophobic way,” it adds.

On antisemitism, pupils are told that some people fear criticising Israel because they may be labelled antisemitic, but that "it would actually be anti-semitic [sic] to assume that all Jewish people agree with the Israeli government”.

The last section asks pupils what action they can take, encouraging them to lobby MPs, research the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement and persuade their parents to donate to Palestinian charities.

“There are many Palestinian charity organisations that you can persuade your parents to donate money to, if they can.”

Pupils are urged to “challenge the media when they give us false narratives” and to refuse to buy goods “made on stolen land”.

The final part of the presentation is aimed at teachers.

Anticipating objections from senior leadership to the material, the guidance suggests responses to common concerns. If schools insist staff use only the government-approved Solutions Not Sides materials, teachers are encouraged to reply: “The Home Office are notoriously racist, have clearly picked their side and don’t offer the solution of ending apartheid and occupation. Teachers should be trusted to make their own resources.”

The slide links to “criticisms” of the education charity, including from Artists for Palestine UK, which organises cultural boycotts of Israel.

Where safeguarding or parental complaints are raised, the resource advises: “You will probably get them if you don’t discuss this properly,” warning that refugee children and Muslim pupils will face “awful racism, spurred on by the government and press” otherwise.

If schools say they “can’t be seen to be taking sides”, it asks: “Do they not want to be on the side that is against genocide?”

The presentation advises teachers that if they “get in trouble” with their school, they should point to the NEU’s stated position and union motions.

The "Palestine4Educators" pack includes a proposed union branch motion declaring “solidarity with the Palestinians” and asserting that “Palestinians have a right to resist settler colonialism and occupation under international law”.

“Armed struggle” is included as a legitimate means of liberation.

Separate documents shared via the Google Drive link reinforce this framing.

One uses a poem by former Palestine Liberation Organisation figure Mahmoud Darwish as the basis for a lesson. Introducing Darwish and his poem “The Prison Cell,” pupils are told: “Our poet today is considered the national poet of Palestine: a country which was colonised by the state of Israel after WW2.”

Another presentation, titled “Solidarity with Palestine: a discussion and guide for educators,” opens with the claim: “Since its foundation in 1948, Israel has systemically oppressed Palestinians.” Hamas is described as a “militant group”.

Part of the proposed teaching material[Missing Credit]

Responding to the resources, Jewish leaders said serious questions remain for the union, which voted to accuse Israel of “genocide” and pledged to produce teaching materials about the war in Gaza for members at its national conference.

Board of Deputies vice-president Jeremy Michelson said the resources were “full of distorted and outright false material” and amounted to “indoctrination rather than education”. He confirmed the Board would be following up with government.

A JLC spokesperson commented, “For the Bristol branch of the NEU to distribute resources which appear to justify Hamas’s murderous attack on southern Israel just days after October 7 is disgraceful and utterly indefensible.

“The surge in antisemitism within schools has been one of the most alarming elements of the onslaught of hate British Jews have faced over the last two years. These biased resources highlight the key role of the NEU in creating that problem.

“Schools have a duty to ensure that their pupils receive a balanced representation of opposing views, in line with statutory requirements for political impartiality, and unions must return to their role of supporting teachers instead of injecting their political agendas into classrooms at the expense of Jewish pupils."

Co-director of Labour Against Antisemitism, Alex Hearn, said the resources “can only be described as extremist propaganda".

He urged the government to “ensure the NEU via its members do not feed hate to schoolchildren as education.”

A spokesperson for the Department for Education said: "The use of these appalling materials in our schools would be utterly wrong, and would be a gross breach of schools’ legal duty to political impartiality.

“No pupil should ever feel unwelcome or intimidated in their school. Schools must remain places of safety for all children, regardless of faith or background.

“As part of this government's wider work to build social cohesion and combat extremism, the Education Secretary has announced that a review will be launched to ensure all schools and colleges have the right systems and processes in place to identify and respond to antisemitism and related issues.”

When approached about the resources, an NEU spokesperson said they were removed after a press enquiry in November 2023 prior to a story that was not published at the time.

“The NEU confirmed that they were not materials endorsed by the NEU and that they would be removed from NEU member forums and our logo removed. The NEU also sent a reminder to all our representatives in the regions that the official NEU teaching materials on Israel/Palestine are available on our website and are available for sharing with members.”

Asked if there had been any action taken against the teachers the spokesperson added: “The materials came down so that message was conveyed.”

Responding on behalf of the Bristol branch, the NEU spokesperson added: “Tackling all forms of racism, including antisemitism, is a core part of the work of the NEU. Bristol NEU, alongside all our other branches and districts, take the union's anti-racism work seriously and work hard to ensure that antisemitic, racist and Islamophobic behaviour is addressed.”

The JC is hosting City University Professor Michael Ben-Gad and UJS President Louis Danker for a special conversation on the experiences of Jewish students and staff in British universities today. To book your seat, click here

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