"There is no place for revisionism in the Republic. I have instructed the government to take action."
The French publishing house Hachette announced the withdrawal of three exam preparation textbooks from its "Objectif bac" series. In a photograph of the page that caused the scandal and published on the social media platform X by the International League Against Racism and Anti-Semitism (LICRA), the following phrase can be read: "In October 2023, after the deaths of more than 1,200 Jewish settlers during a series of Hamas attacks, Israel decided to strengthen the economic blockade and invade a significant part of the Gaza Strip."
Outraged by the use of the word "settlers" to refer to Israelis and the absence of the term "terrorist" in relation to Hamas attacks, LICRA condemned the "unacceptable form of legitimizing Hamas terrorism" and called on the publisher to prevent "confusion and revisionist tendencies."
Such wording indeed suggests that the villages and kibbutzim attacked by Hamas and its allies on October 7 are illegal settlements under international law, thereby equating all of Israel's territory to a colony. This effectively means delegitimizing Israel as a whole, noted LICRA.
French President Emmanuel Macron also condemned this "intolerable" wording, which "distorts the facts" about the "terrorist and anti-Semitic attacks by Hamas on October 7, 2023" in Israel. "There is no place for revisionism in the Republic. I have instructed the government to take action," the president wrote on X. Minister of National Education Edouard Geffray also condemned the use of this wording, calling it an "unacceptable" "distortion of reality and an affront to the dignity of the victims of terrorism."
The publishing house Hachette Livre, which engaged a crisis communication company to manage the scandal, stated in a press release that it "understands the outrage caused and apologizes for the erroneous content present on one of the pages of these publications." These apologies were confirmed by Arnaud Lagardère, the CEO of the publishing house, which is the third-largest player in the global market in its field.
Additionally, Hachette announced the initiation of an "internal investigation (...) to determine the reasons why such a serious error occurred in these exam preparation materials." The publisher also emphasizes that all publications for students, including supplementary materials for review, are written exclusively by teachers and undergo a double internal review before publication.
The French Ministry of National Education, for its part, insists that the "Objectif bac" series pertains to extracurricular education and is intended for material review, not for use in lessons. The "Objectif bac" books are likely being released somewhat hastily, sources close to the minister suggest.
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