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School books omit Israel - Palestinian texts studied
National Post ^ | 11/24/01 | Matthew Kalman

Posted on 11/26/2001 4:22:07 AM PST by vrwc54

JERUSALEM - A new range of textbooks used in Canadian-funded Palestinian schools has failed to fulfill promises to the international community to modify Palestinian hostility to the Jewish presence in Israel and promote peace in education.

According to 58 new textbooks and two teachers' guides for grades 1, 2, 6, 7 and 11 published in the past two years by the Palestinian Authority, Israel does not exist -- nor does the concept of peace, a U.S. study has found.

Children are encouraged from the earliest school age to hate Israelis, glorify "martyrs" and seek the "liberation" of all of Palestine, including Israel.

The analysis of the textbooks, published this week, was carried out by the New York-based Center for Monitoring Impact of Peace (CMIP), a non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging a climate of tolerance and mutual respect between peoples and nations.

The study reveals the Palestinian Authority (PA) has removed some anti-Semitic stereotypes that were featured prominently in Jordanian and Egyptian textbooks previously used in the West Bank and Gaza, but no positive or even neutral images of Jews and Israelis have been introduced.

"The PA curriculum does not teach the acceptance of Israel's existence and instead of working to erase hateful stereotypes, it is instilling them into the next generation's consciousness," said Yohanan Manor, CMIP's vice-chairman.

When presented with the report's main findings, a spokes- man for the Palestinian Education Ministry, which published the textbooks, refused to comment. "I have nothing to say about this," he said.

The new textbooks are being used throughout the Palestinian-controlled areas in the West Bank and Gaza in 1,300 schools administered by the Palestinian Authority and 261 run by the United Nations Relief & Works Agency (UNRWA).

Since 1993, Canada has contributed $165-million in direct aid to Palestinian development programs, including education, plus a further $10-million annually to UNRWA.

An additional grant of $5-million, announced in May by John Manley, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, is about to be distributed through the World Bank to a series of projects, including new schools and libraries.

The offensive textbook material has been included despite commitments made by the Palestinian Authority in the May, 1994, Cairo Agreement, where both parties undertook to "ensure that their educational systems contribute to the peace between Israel and the Palestinian people."

"Incitement in Palestinian media and schools betrays any interest in peace and must come to an end if Palestinians are to be credible as partners for peace-making," Dennis Ross, a former U.S. Middle East envoy, wrote this week.

While there is recognition in the Palestinian textbooks of a sovereign Jewish state under King David in ancient times, the modern state of Israel is never shown. Every map in every subject -- from Grade 2 math to Grade 7 geography -- marks the entire area of Israel, the West Bank and Gaza as Palestine and fails to show any modern Israeli cities such as Tel Aviv or Hadera.

The Oslo peace process, which brought the Palestinian Authority into existence, is hardly mentioned and nowhere is the idea of peace with Israel promoted.

A similar report by CMIP a year ago on 360 textbooks used in Israeli schools found dozens of examples where Israeli children were being taught to recognize Palestinian claims and problems and where an effort was made "to prepare the younger generation for openness and peace.

"Islam, the Arab culture and the Arabs' contribution to human civilization are presented in a positive light," the report on Israeli textbooks found.

"No book calls for violence or war. Many books express the yearning for peace between Israel and the Arab countries."

Mr. Manor said CMIP did find some isolated examples of "prejudice, patronizing expressions and disrespect to Arabs" in books used in ultra-orthodox Israeli schools and the organization raised objections with representatives of those educational systems.

But the Palestinian textbooks are replete with images of violence and hatred in all contexts, reinforcing negative views of Israelis even in subjects far removed from history or politics, the new study found.

A Grade 2 language textbook prompts young children to describe a series of brightly coloured pictures in which Israelis uproot trees, expel Palestinians and destroy their houses. A Grade 1 science book illustrates a magnifying glass by enlarging a text which reads "Palestine is Arab."

Mr. Manor expressed particular concern at the representation of Jews and the Hebrew language and their connection to the Holy Land.

Jewish immigration to Palestine since the 16th century is described in negative terms as "infiltration" and Hebrew is referred to as a dialect rather than a language.

A Grade 7 "national education" textbook lists Christian and Muslim holy places in Palestine but no Jewish ones.

The same book refers to "the attempt to Judaize some of the Muslim religious places" such as the Western Wall in Jerusalem and the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron -- both were built by the Jewish King Herod

A population table for Palestine in a Grade 6 National Education textbook lists 1.9 million people on the West Bank, 1.1 million in Gaza, 1.1 million "Palestinians of the Interior" (i.e. Israeli Arabs) and 4.4 million "Palestinians of the Diaspora." The five million Jews living in Israel are not mentioned at all.

Following is a summary of the findings of a survey conducted by the Center for Monitoring the Impact of Peace, of the new Palestinian Authority Textbooks. The findings were presented at a press conference held today (Wednesday) in Jerusalem, by the Chairman of the Center, Mr. André Marcus and the Vice-Chairman, Dr. Yohanan Manor:

In the two academic years 2000-2001 and 2001-2002, the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) introduced 58 new textbooks and two teachers' guides for grades 1,2,6,7 and 11. CMIP has conducted a comprehensive survey of these textbooks in order to determine how they relate to peace, tolerance, recognition and reconciliation according to criteria set by the international community.

CMIP has found that the new PNA textbooks do not fulfill these criteria in educating to peace and reconciliation with Israel, but rather foster a multi-faceted rejection of its existence. The educational approach employed by the PNA does not reflect international standards as defined by UNESCO. The textbooks do not teach acceptance of Israel's existence on the national level, and instead of working to erase hateful stereotypes, the new PNA curriculum is instilling them into the next generation's consciousness.

+ The concept of peace with Israel is not to be found anywhere in the Palestinian schoolbooks. The peace process between Israel and the Palestinians, based on the Oslo Accords, is not mentioned. They fail to teach the youth to see Israel as a neighbor with whom peaceful relations should be desired.

+ Tolerance, both in a historical and a contemporary context, is addressed at length in the Palestinian textbooks. It is described as being based on Islam's traditional approach of "accepting the members of the monotheistic religions" and "respecting the People of the Book in their religion, property and ceremonies". However, in their examples, the textbooks refer only to tolerance between Moslems and Christians. The Jews are not mentioned.

+ The Jewish connection to the Holy Land is confined to antiquity. From the Roman period onwards this Jewish link is ignored. The Jews' return to Palestine is described as "infiltration". Zionism is mentioned in a negative context only. The Jews are not "deserving" of Palestine. Hebrew is not considered one of the languages of the land.

+ The State of Israel, a member state of the UN since 1949, is not recognized. It is referred to by substitute names such as the lands within the "green line", "interior" or "1948 lands". Its name does not appear on any map, nor do any towns, villages and projects (industries, harbors, railways, etc.) created and developed by Israel. Israel is presented as the usurper and occupier since its establishment in 1948.

+ By contrast, the State of Palestine (Dawlat Filastin) is often referred to and its name appears with the official emblem of the Palestinian National Authority, on the cover and the front page of many textbooks. Palestine stretches from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea and is exclusively Arab. The 5.5 million Jewish inhabitants are not counted.

+ The maps that appear in the textbooks continue to disregard the existence of the State of Israel. In most cases no names are given at all. In other cases Israel's place on the map is marked "Palestine". There are several maps that delineate the contours of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip but do not name them. Areas located in the territory of Israel within its 1949 borders, such as the Negev, are presented as an integral part of Palestine. The Arab population of Israel is counted among the inhabitants of Palestine.

+ Jerusalem is presented as belonging to the Palestinians alone, and as the capital of Palestine. Its central importance and holiness for the Jews are not mentioned, neither is the fact that the Jewish population constitutes the vast majority of its inhabitants.

+ The holy places in Palestine are exclusively Muslim and Christian. There is no reference to Jewish holy places as such. Rather, they are presented as Muslim holy places that the Jews have attempted to Judaize, such as the "Tomb of the Patriarchs" in Hebron, "the Western Wall" a.k.a. "the Wailing Wall", in Jerusalem, and "Rachel's Tomb" in Bethlehem.

+ There are a series of references to the liberation of Palestine, presented as a struggle against Israeli occupation. At times, the liberation from Israeli occupation points to the territories of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip occupied by Israel in 1967. Sometimes this expression refers to the territory of the State of Israel, within its 1949 borders. There is an explicit reference to the Israeli occupation of 1948 and another to the need to establish an independent Palestinian state on the entire national soil.

+ The struggle for the liberation of Palestine is presented mainly as a military one. There is no direct support of terror in the textbooks, but the Feda'i and the Shahid are praised as the spearheads of this struggle. Palestinians hanged by British Mandate authorities for murders of Jewish civilians are presented as Shahids. Those arrested and jailed in Israeli jails for acts of terrorism against Israeli civilians are depicted as "prisoners of war". Jihad continues to be glorified and martyrdom is praised, with special attention given to the martyrs of Palestine.

+ There is no attempt to encourage reconciliation with Israel. Israel is presented exclusively as inhumane and greedy. It has destroyed the Palestinian villages, driven them away, seized their lands and water, inflicted on them pain and loss, taken over their holy places. Israel is responsible for the obliteration of Palestinian Arab national identity, the crippling of Palestinian economy, and for social and ecological ills.

+ Israel is accused of being responsible for the creation of the Palestinian refugee problem, with no consideration being given to the consequences of the Arab and Palestinian rejection of the 1947 UN Partition Plan. The solution to this problem presented in PNA textbooks is "the return of every refugee" to his former home, i.e. to the territory of the State of Israel within its 1949 borders.

+ Although bilateral treaties and accords have determined the allocation of land and water between Israel and the Palestinians by mutual agreement, (The Israeli-Palestinian Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, 1995, Article XI and Appendix I article 40,and the Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty 1994, Annex II.). Israel is accused of robbing the lands and waters from the Palestinians.

+ Reference to the Jews is minimal. Although their historical connections to Palestine are mentioned, these references do not provide the pupils with at least a basic knowledge of Jews and Judaism, as one of the three monotheistic religions. Several of these references, however, contain negative generalizations attributing traits of trickery, greed and barbarity to the Jews, and insinuation that they do not keep agreements and treaties as Muslims do. Accusations of racial discrimination that were leveled against Israel in a textbook published in 1995 have since been removed (in 1996 and 2000).

+ Inaccuracies in determining and presenting historical facts appear in several instances, particularly in the textbooks of Grade 7. For example, statements such as: "[Israeli] attempts at obliterating the artistic [Palestinian] heritage: .Setting fire to the antique pulpit of Saladin in the al-Aqsa Mosque." (National Education, Grade 7, p. 55). "The Arab Jebusites built it [Jerusalem] five thousand years ago in that distinguished place and it has remained since that time a capital of Palestine during the ages." (Geography of Palestine, Grade 7, p. 77) are to be found in the textbooks, as well as the falsification of a stamp issued by the British Mandatory Government.

+ The Palestinian textbooks use terminology that is associated with war and violence and is likely to create prejudice,misunderstanding and conflict, such as: "The demographic weapon" will play "a positive role in winning the Arab-Israeli conflict" (The Palestinian Society-Demographic Education, Grade 11 (2000), p. 29), and :"The coming of the Jewish throngs to Palestine continued until 1948 and their goal was taking over the Palestinian lands and then taking the original inhabitants' place after their expulsion or extermination." (National Education, Grade 7, p. 20)

+ The tendency towards educating pupils to reject and delegitimize Israel that was prevalent in the PNA textbooks of 2000-2001 has not been addressed in the new textbooks. Instead, it appears to have gained impetus through instilling animosity and the implicit aspiration to replace the State of Israel with the State of Palestine.



TOPICS: Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS:

1 posted on 11/26/2001 4:22:07 AM PST by vrwc54
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To: vrwc54
So when the Palestinian's demand a State built within Israel so they can live in peace, you can see that they are only tossing manure to attract liberal flies. They are willing to promise anything for hard gains in land, money or weapons. Their own text books printed for this years consumption show their real agenda, the complete destruction of Israel.

Time for Powell and the State Department to pull their heads out of the sand.

2 posted on 11/26/2001 4:47:18 AM PST by American in Israel
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To: vrwc54
Dire Straits:
The Man's Too Strong

I am just an aging drummer boy
And in the wars I used to play
And I've called the tune
To many a torture session
Now they say I am a war criminal
And I'm fading away
Father, (*read, anyone but Allah,) please hear my confession

I have legalized robbery
Called it belief
I have run with the money
And hid like a thief
I have rewritten history
With my armies and my crooks
Invented memories
I did burn all the books
and I can still hear his laughter
And I can still hear his song
The man's too big
The man's too strong

Sounds like *as told to______, by *Osama, *Arafat*, *bill and hill clinton, *The Saudi Principaliepigs, And Muslim Organizations in general.

3 posted on 11/26/2001 4:54:04 AM PST by NixNatAVanG InDaBurgh
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To: American in Israel
I am shocked that schools would be used to promote a political agenda. I am shocked that children would be used to achieve an end that no openly recognized govt program could achieve. I am shocked that they are systematically lying to children to get them to fully embrace a distorted view of history with emotional zeal. I am shocked I tell you, shocked. Of course it could never happen here /sarcasm off
4 posted on 11/26/2001 5:08:27 AM PST by artios
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To: NixNatAVanG InDaBurgh; American in Israel
CHILDREN AS TIME BOMBS

By Emanuel A. Winston
Middle East Analyst & Commentator

"My heartfelt conviction is to launch a Jihad war." 4 year old on Palestinian TV 'Children's Club' "I finished practicing on the submachine gun of return. I trained my friends from among the children and the youths. We swore to take vengeful blood from our enemies for our killed and wounded." Sung by a 7 year old girl who was then kissed by Yasir Arafat on May 19, 1997 Palestinian Broadcast Company TV.

"..know my son that Palestine is your country...that its pure soil is drenched in the blood of martyr's because it is a land of glorious battles and war: in Jerusalem, Ein Harod, Acre, Haifa, Sha'ar Hagay and the Negev. Just as this sacred soil returned to its owners [in the past] so it will return again through your courage and determination, If Allah wills." (The map in their textbooks is also shown on the web-site on "Palestine" and is clearly in the shape of Israel.): Arabic language textbooks for 5th graders - March 1998.

"The Jihad is the religious duty of every Muslim man and woman." English lesson 5th grade textbook.'Our Arabic Language' 6th grade text: Exercise: "Use the following expressions in one sentence: 'wisdom', 'Zionist danger', 'calling for Jihad', 'tragedy'." And the follow-up question: "Why must we fight the Jews and drive them out of our land?" (1)

For some time the Arab world has used their educational curriculum to teach schoolchildren to hate and kill, in effect, molding the future. The Palestinian Ministry of Education is working with Jordan and Syria to standardize a single, unified curriculum. Syria, Iraq, Iran and even Egypt offer learning materials that reflect the biases of their government. In parallel, communications to adults through television and newspapers also taught hatred which further guarantees that the message would penetrate family thought. Their target has always been first the Jewish State (the Saturday people). They say openly:

"First the Saturday people; then the Sunday people".

Can you doubt what they mean? Now we see evidence of their murderous intent against the Christians who they call the "Crusaders" or "the Sunday people". America is especially targeted as the Great Satan. Bombing of the World Trade Center in New York, American embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, the thwarted plans to blow up the UN, Lincoln and Holland tunnels and 7 train lines in Brooklyn. Most demonstrations by Palestinian Arabs include the ritual burning of flags, both the Israeli flag and the American flag. They teach hate to recover their pride in losing 6 wars of aggression to the Jews which saturates the Arab world media and prepares their mind for continuous revenge. Consider the probability of children between 4 to 10 becoming the next contingent of terrorists and suicide bombers in another 10 to 20 years. Then come the grandchildren and on to 100 years.

When Israel signed various Accords aimed at peace, usually with the signature of an American President, the Agreements, as negotiated, called for the cessation of war, terrorism and propaganda to inflame the Arab masses. For Israel, the cessation of incitement of adults and especially children was vital, IF, there was ever to be even a semblance of peace. This was particularly true in the teaching of impressionable youngsters. Such yet unformed minds are like innocent sponges who quickly grasp what their adult role models are teaching. They imprint the teachings of hatred and, as these kids grow older, that teaching is triggered at different times in their life - just like Time Bombs. A child who uses the taught mantra of killing and martyred suicide will at some point engage in exactly that. Most parents understand in practice what goes into a child's mind usually emerges in practice as they grow older.....


5 posted on 11/26/2001 5:11:06 AM PST by vrwc54
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To: vrwc54

Finger painting. Approved by the Palestinians.
Will the US State Dept continue to go along?

6 posted on 11/26/2001 5:15:02 AM PST by Diogenesis
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To: Diogenesis
Now that we see that American blood is the same color a Jewish blood, perhaps, just perhaps...
7 posted on 11/26/2001 6:15:34 AM PST by American in Israel
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To: ExiledInTaiwan
Yet another point of the triangle.
8 posted on 11/26/2001 7:49:26 AM PST by <1/1,000,000th%
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To: vrwc54
This has been known for quite some time. Remember, there will be NO peace in the Middle East. EVER. Hopefully, the administration in Israel, in addition to the U.S. realize this and the political posturing going on is just that, political bull****.
9 posted on 11/26/2001 9:14:20 AM PST by PetroniDE
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