French publishing group Hachette is facing strong criticism after one of its high school textbooks described the victims of the October 7 Hamas attacks as “more than 1,200 Jewish settlers.” The LICRA (International League against Racism and Antisemitism) denounced the language used in the HGGSP (History-Geography, Geopolitics and Political Science) textbook for final-year students, warning that it dangerously distorts the reality of the massacre.
The passage, found in Objectif Bac published by Hachette Éducation, refers to the Hamas attacks without distinguishing between civilians and those potentially living in settlements. LICRA pointed out that many of the victims lived within internationally recognized Israeli borders and that labeling them collectively as “settlers” introduces a semantic confusion that may downplay or ideologically justify the attack.
LICRA also criticized the textbook for depicting the subsequent Israeli military operation in Gaza as a near-automatic “invasion,” without clearly identifying the terroristic nature of the Hamas assault or the civilian targets involved. The organization described this narrative as both pedagogically and morally troubling, especially in a resource meant for secondary education.
In response, LICRA contacted the Ministry of National Education and the History-Geography Teachers’ Association, urging stronger editorial scrutiny over terminology. The group stressed that the language used to describe acts of terrorism is never neutral—especially when it helps shape how future generations understand history.
As the controversy grew, publisher Hachette issued an apology on Wednesday and announced the recall of the affected textbooks. “Hachette Livre understands the emotion caused and wishes to express its apologies for the erroneous content found on one page of these books,” the publisher stated in a press release. “Unsold copies will be destroyed, and this edition will only be put back on sale after being thoroughly reviewed and corrected.” The company also announced that “an internal investigation has already been launched to determine how such an error occurred.”
