Open University reverses UKLFI-influenced ‘ancient Palestine’ ban

Open University Reverses UKLFI-Influenced ‘Ancient Palestine’ Ban

The Open University (OU) has reportedly withdrawn its earlier pledge to the pro-Israel lobby group UKLFI regarding the use of “ancient Palestine,” according to Novara Media. This decision follows pressure from UKLFI to eliminate the term from academic materials, which the group argued could foster hostility toward Jewish and Israeli students.

UKLFI’s Complaint

On 30 November 2025, UKLFI contacted the OU, asserting that the phrase “ancient Palestine” might create a “hostile or offensive learning environment” for Jewish and Israeli students. The group claimed the OU risked breaching the Equality Act by using the term in a humanities module that referenced the Virgin Mary’s birthplace as “ancient Palestine” and included a map labeled “Map of Ancient Palestine.”

OU’s Response

UKLFI argued that the term “Palestine” was not applied to the region until “more than a century after Mary’s lifetime,” when Roman Emperor Hadrian renamed it “Syria Palaestina.” In response, the OU’s head of the faculty of arts and social sciences, Adrienne Scullion, acknowledged the term had become “problematic” since its inclusion in 2018. She stated the university would avoid using “ancient Palestine” in new materials and would provide context for existing references.

Academic Backlash

Following the release of the OU’s statement, over 600 academics and public figures signed an open letter earlier this year demanding an “urgent public retraction” of the institution’s commitments to UKLFI. The letter warned that the OU’s agreement could undermine its statutory obligations under the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023, exposing staff to harassment and enabling the spread of disinformation.

“The commitments expose staff to harassment, set harmful precedents for further attacks on academic freedom, and make the OU complicit in the spread of disinformation and a politically motivated attempt to erase Palestine from history.”

The letter was co-signed by Israeli historians Ilan Pappe and Avi Shlaim, along with Palestinian scholars Rashid Khalidi and Nur Masalha. It received endorsement from the OU’s University and College Union branch. However, an unnamed staff member contested the reversal, stating the university’s latest statement did not align with the December 18 letter, which had explicitly outlined the commitment to avoid the term.

British Museum Controversy

This development follows a prior controversy involving the British Museum, which removed the term Palestine from exhibits related to ancient Egypt and the Phoenicians. UKLFI claimed this change was a direct response to their complaints, though a museum spokesperson denied any link to the group’s influence.

Academics have defended the use of “ancient Palestine,” noting its historical accuracy for the region in antiquity. Marchella Ward, a classical studies lecturer at the OU, stated in an interview with Middle East Eye that the term is “historically accurate” and that claims of its lateness are “a lie aimed at erasing Palestinians and supporting Israel’s ongoing genocide.”

Broader Campaign

The OU is not the only institution targeted by UKLFI. Last month, it was revealed that Encyclopaedia Britannica had revised entries in Britannica Kids to remove the term from regional maps, under pressure from the group. Earlier in 2023, London’s Chelsea and Westminster Hospital also took down an artwork created by schoolchildren in Gaza, citing “patients’ complaints” as the reason, according to UKLFI director Caroline Turner.