French Textbook Condemned for Calling Victims of October 7 Attacks “Jewish Settlers”
A Hachette Education textbook describing Hamas Oct 7 massacre victims as “settlers” has ignited controversy amid revelations of alleged Qatari corruption at the publisher’s parent company
A French high school textbook is under scrutiny after describing the 1,200 victims of Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attacks as “colons juifs“ (Jewish settlers), according to LICRA, France’s International League Against Racism and Antisemitism. Adding to the controversy, the textbook is published by Hachette Education, a major French publisher of school textbooks and pedagogical resources for teachers and students. Hachette’s parent company is currently embroiled in a corruption scandal involving Qatari influence.
The textbook, “Objectif Bac” for the HGGSP (History-Geography, Geopolitics and Political Sciences) curriculum, was authored by Vincent Adoumié, one of France’s most credentialed educators, holding dual agrégations in both history and geography and teaching France’s elite preparatory classes.
The textbook defines “colons juifs” in the preceding paragraph as referring to “installation de colons juifs dans certains territoires palestiniens” (installation of Jewish settlers in certain Palestinian territories), clearly referencing the West Bank. Yet it then applies this same term to October 7 victims, writing:
“In October 2023, following the death of more than 1,200 Jewish settlers during a series of attacks by Hamas, Israel decided to strengthen its economic blockade and invade a large part of the Gaza Strip.”
The Alleged Qatar Connection
The controversy takes on additional significance given the ownership structure of Hachette’s parent company, Lagardère. According to financial data available on Easybourse, Lagardère S.A., which owns Hachette Livre and its educational division, counts Qatar Holding Company as its third-largest shareholder at 11.47%. Qatar Holding LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Qatari government’s Qatar Investment Authority, has been a major investor in Lagardère since 2011.
The Corruption Scandal
Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, chairman of both Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Qatar’s beIN Sports empire, was indicted in February 2025 on charges of complicity in vote-buying and abuse of power related to Lagardère. French investigators allege Al-Khelaïfi helped Lagardère CEO Arnaud Lagardère secure Qatar Holding’s favorable votes during a crucial 2018 shareholders meeting, in exchange for appointing a Qatar-friendly diplomat to Lagardère’s supervisory board.
Arnaud Lagardère himself was indicted in April 2024 on multiple charges including vote-buying, abuse of corporate assets, and market manipulation. Following Al-Khelaïfi’s indictment, Qatar threatened to withdraw all investments from France, calling the investigation a “witch hunt.”
Hachette Livre, the parent company of Hachette Education, subsequently announced the immediate recall of three Objectif Bac Terminale revision manuals containing the disputed passage referring to the October 7 victims as “Jewish settlers.” In an official press release, the group confirmed the opening of an internal investigation and, through its CEO Arnaud Lagardère, issued an apology, acknowledging the seriousness of the error.
