material it deems contrary to its official narrative.363 In 2011, Israel sought to expand its influence over East Jerusalem students by attempting to control the curriculum of Palestinian private schools as well, with the head of the Knesset’s education committee declaring that in East Jerusalem “the whole curriculum should and must be Israeli.”364 On 7 March 2011 Israeli education authorities ordered that private schools in Jerusalem receiving allocations from Israel only purchase textbooks prepared in coordination with the Israeli Ministry of Education.365 These textbooks were significantly altered to remove any content referencing Palestinian identity, culture and history in the land, including any mention of Palestinian cities, the occupation, settlements, the Palestinian flag and national anthem, the Intifadas, Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine, and Palestinian refugees’ right of return.366 In 2016, Israel’s Minister of Education, Naftali Bennett, stated his intention to "provide a strong tailwind to any school that chooses the Israeli curriculum. My policy is clear: I want to aid the process of Israelization."367 In order to accomplish this, the Ministry is offering schools extra funding and benefits in exchange for switching completely to the Israeli curriculum. This curriculum erases Palestinian identity and history in the land, referring to them only as minorities and religious groups. While Palestinians have opposed this new policy to control the identity formation of Palestinian students and further the annexation of East Jerusalem by disconnecting it even more from the West Bank, many schools may not be able to refuse the offer. East Jerusalem schools struggle with less funding and resources than Jewish-Israeli ones, and extra money is essential for them to provide certain fundamental classes and services. 368 The timing and scope of this policy is partially due to the desire of Israeli officials to counter the upswing in Palestinian resistance that began in October 2015. The short school day and nationalist ideas in the Palestinian curriculum 363 The Civil Campaign for Preserving the Palestinian Curriculum in Jerusalem, Palestinian Jerusalemites Oppose the Illegal Imposition of Israeli curriculum in East Jerusalem Schools. Available at: http://jlac. ps/data_site_files/CCPPC.pdf, 1 364 Jilian Kestler-D’Amours, Forced Israeli curriculum violates Palestinians’ education rights, The Electronic Intifada, 17 October 2011. Available at: https://electronicintifada.net/content/forcedisraeli-curriculum-violates-palestinians-education-rights/10497 365 The Civil Campaign for Preserving the Palestinian Curriculum in Jerusalem, Palestinian Jerusalemites Oppose the Illegal Imposition of Israeli curriculum in East Jerusalem Schools, op. cit. 366 Ibid.; CCPRJ, Education under occupation – The case of Jerusalem, page 4. Available at: http://www. civiccoalition-jerusalem.org/uploads/9/3/6/8/93682182/education_under_occupation-_the_case_ of_jerusalem.pdf 367 Jonathan Cook, How Israel is ‘turning Palestinians into Zionists’, Al Jazeera, 18 February 2016. Available at: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/02/israel-turning-palestinians-zionists-160218084338003. html 368 Ibid. 98