Guidance for museums shared by a taxpayer-funded charity says that Hamas are “anti-colonial freedom-fighters”.

A best-practice guide on “inclusive” terminology produced for the arts sector and shared by Collections Trust warns about the “pro-Israel Western media”.

The guide, which is intended to make language in arts institutions as inoffensive as possible, compares the cause of Hamas to the anti-apartheid movement of Nelson Mandela, and states that Israel is a “settler colonial” power.

The document is included on the website of the Collections Trust, a charity in receipt of Arts Council funding which sets a standard of best-practice for UK museums and galleries. Its content has raised concerns about the dissemination of “shameful propaganda” in the arts sector.

The “Inclusive Terminology Glossary”, designed to help museums avoid “offensive” language, was created by former Cambridge masters student Carissa Chew, who developed the project while working on diversity and inclusion projects at the National Library of Scotland.

‘It is broken down into sections ranging from “Palestine” to “Empire and Imperialism” and “Contemporary Slurs”, and appears in a list of resources for museum professionals on the Collections Trust website.

In an explanation of the term ‘Hamas’, it states that while the terrorist group‘s murder of Israeli civilians should be condemned, it “remains important to recognise the anticolonial, freedom-fighting motivations of any attacks against a settler colonial state”.

Its definition of ‘terrorist’, meanwhile, says: “In modern history, we have seen the ‘terrorist’ label applied to those who have fought against colonialism, oppression, and apartheid, perhaps most notoriously Nelson Mandela, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.”

In a section explaining the term “Israel-Hamas War”, the guide simply states in a one-line entry:  “Israel is not targeting Hamas, it is intentionally targeting civilians.”

Elsewhere, the guide claims that Israel is an “apartheid” state, and warns that it uses “dehumanising language like ‘collateral damage’ to justify the slaughter of civilians”.

It adds that the “pro-Israel Western media will aim to generate sympathy for Israeli children whilst using dehumanising language to describe Palestinian child victims and child prisoners”.

The “Palestine” section of the Glossary  claims that the “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will Be Free” chant is not calling for the removal of Jews from Israel but “the liberation and equality of all people” in the region.

It also makes the claim that despite the Ottoman Empire occupying the region for about 400 years, Britain’s involvement in the area and its 1917 statement of support for a Jewish homeland “marked the beginning of colonial rule over Palestine”.

The guide, which is included in resources intended to represent best practice for the UK museums and galleries, has been criticised by the Campaign Against Antisemitism.

The group told The Telegraph: “This so-called guide is littered with prejudice and dog-whistles.

“We will be writing to the Collections Trust to inquire as to whom they consulted over this shameful piece of propaganda masquerading as a resource.

“The idea that members of a proscribed anti-Semitic genocidal terror group are ‘freedom fighters’ is shameful and delusional. Hamas murdered, raped and kidnapped innocent Jews. Such a gross mischaracterisation of these terrorists is dangerous and cruel.”

The Collections Trust, which received £234,232 from the taxpayer-funded Arts Council in 2022, is understood to host hundreds of third-party resources they signpost on the website.

On a separate website for the Glossary, it states “for quality control, all edits will be reviewed by Carissa (Chew)”, but also includes a disclaimer which states:  “The Inclusive Terminology Project is a work-in-progress.

“It is not a definitive guide on how to describe people with protected characteristics, nor does it claim to speak on behalf of the peoples represented in its pages.

“Heritage professionals are encouraged to use their best judgement and consult relevant communities and/or additional resources when the information contained within the Glossary is not sufficient.”

Ms Chew said: “The Inclusive Terminology Glossary is a live, collaborative resource that provides guidance for heritage professionals regarding the decolonisation of language and metadata. It includes a section on the historic and contemporary colonisation of Palestine.”