University changes wording after 'ancient Palestine' row

The Open University (OU) has said it will no longer refer to “ancient Palestine” as the birthplace of the Virgin Mary in course material following complaints that the term risks “erasing Jewish history.”

UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) wrote to the university to address the use of the description in one of the OU’s humanities modules, which also includes a map of “ancient Palestine” and references the Aramaic language as widely spoken in that region.

According to The Telegraph, UKLFI expressed concerns that the terminology could mislead students, contribute to the erasure of Jewish historical identity, and create a hostile environment for Jewish and Israeli students at the OU.