King’s College London (KCL) has been accused of presenting a historically inaccurate and misleading description of a Hebrew course on its website.

UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) has written to KCL, highlighting a statement in their Hebrew language course description claiming that Hebrew “was spoken in ancient Palestine” prior to the 3rd century BC. UKLFI argues that this terminology is incorrect, as the term Palestine was not used to describe the inland regions where Hebrew was spoken during that period

UKLFI explains that while the Greek term Palaistinē appears in the writings of Herodotus in the 5th century BC, it referred only to a coastal strip inhabited by the Philistines and did not include Judea, Samaria, or Galilee.

Palestine only became a name for part of the region in 135 CE, when the Romans renamed the province of Judea Syria Palaestina following the Bar Kokhba revolt, a move intended to minimise Jewish ties to the land.

UKLFI pointed out that applying the term retrospectively imposes a modern political label on a territory that had no such identity at the time and risks misleading students about the region’s history.

The letter also raises concerns about the impact of such language on Jewish and Israeli students, warning that it may contribute to a hostile or offensive learning environment. UKLFI notes that universities have a duty under the Equality Act 2010 to avoid conduct that could reasonably be perceived as harassing.

UKLFI has asked KCL to amend the description by replacing “ancient Palestine” with historically accurate terms such as “the Levant” or “Canaan,” and to clarify that Hebrew’s religious use from the 3rd century BC was specifically within Jewish life and worship.

A spokesperson for UKLFI said: “Universities have a responsibility to use historically accurate and neutral language, particularly where terminology intersects with identity and deeply contested histories. Referring to ‘ancient Palestine’ in this context is not only inaccurate but risks misleading students and alienating Jewish and Israeli communities. We hope King’s College London will act promptly to correct this.”