Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun Faces Diplomatic Test In Saudi Arabia Over Antisemitic PLO Textbooks Funded By Riyadh

Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, President Trump’s newly appointed Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, is poised for a high-stakes diplomatic test during the President’s upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia. At issue is Saudi Arabia’s longstanding financial support for Palestinian Authority (PA) textbooks that systematically delegitimize Israel, demonize Jews, and glorify violent struggle over peace.

Saudi-Funded Antisemitism in Palestinian Classrooms

For over two decades, Saudi Arabia has helped finance PA educational materials that violate UNESCO standards and international law. According to extensive monitoring by research agencies, three core tenets define these textbooks:

1. Delegitimization of Israel: Textbooks deny Jewish historical ties to the land, erase Israel from maps, and dismiss Jewish holy sites like the Temple Mount as fabrications.
2. Demonization of Jews: Israeli policies are equated with Nazism, while Jews are portrayed as inherently oppressive and violent.
3. Advocacy for Violent Struggle: Peace with Israel is rejected in favor of “resistance,” framed as a religious duty. Martyrdom and armed struggle are glorified, with terror attacks against Israelis justified as legitimate.

The European Parliament recently froze funding to the PA over these textbooks, citing “antisemitic references, incitement to violence, and glorification of terrorism.” A 2025 resolution explicitly tied EU financial aid to curriculum reforms, which the PA has thus far ignored.

Kaploun’s Challenge: Balancing Diplomacy and Accountability

Rabbi Kaploun, a Chabad-linked advocate known for his focus on Middle Eastern terrorism and campus antisemitism, now faces the delicate task of addressing Saudi complicity in perpetuating hate. His nomination emphasized combating antisemitism linked to “terrorist sympathizers” and campus radicalization. However, Saudi Arabia, a key U.S. ally, remains a major funder of the PA’s education system, which the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (JCPA) calls an “incubator for terror.”

The Oslo Accords, designed to foster Israeli-Palestinian peace, have failed in part due to PA policies that radicalize youth through education. Textbooks funded by Saudi and EU donors teach that “jihad and martyrdom” are obligations to “liberate” Jerusalem, while omitting Israel’s existence.

Saudi Reforms: Partial Progress, Persistent Problems

While Saudi Arabia has made limited reforms to its curriculum, removing some antisemitic tropes and recognizing “East Jerusalem” as Palestine’s capital, its funding of PA materials remains unchecked. IMPACT-se, a watchdog group, notes that Saudi textbooks still omit Israel from maps and frame Zionism as expansionist.

The Stakes for U.S. Policy

Kaploun’s ability to navigate this issue will test the Trump administration’s commitment to its antisemitism agenda. The envoy has previously likened U.S. Jews to “1930s Germany” and emphasized combating radical Islamist extremism. Yet confronting Saudi Arabia, a strategic partner, risks complicating diplomatic ties.

With the EU already taking action, pressure mounts on the U.S. to demand accountability. As Kaploun accompanies Trump to Riyadh, advocates urge him to leverage U.S. influence to end Saudi funding for hate education, a critical step toward dismantling the ideological roots of antisemitism and terrorism.