Jul. 21, 2004 23:23
| Updated Jul. 22, 2004 17:43 PA textbooks: Israel is
Palestine By MARGOT
DUDKEVITCH
A MAP
appearing in a new Palestinian textbook is titled ‘The
Arab countries neighboring Palestine.’ It does not
mention Israel.
Advertisement
Palestinian schoolbooks for the first time delineate the
borders of the West Bank and Gaza Strip on maps but the entire
territory encompassed by Israel, the West Bank and Gaza is
referred to as Palestine, according to an Israeli government
report.
These are the two most significant changes in textbooks
published by the Palestinian Authority's Education Ministry
for the 2003-2004 school year. The PA textbooks continue to
deny Israel's right to exist and claim that the only solution
to the current conflict is violence, according to a report by
the coordinator of government activities in the territories.
The report, which was obtained exclusively by The
Jerusalem Post, says Palestine, not Israel, appears on all
of the books' maps and all the village, cities, and towns
located in Israel are referred to by their Arabic names.
The PA does not teach pupils about co-existence or peace
and the overall policy "appears to be one of delegitimization
of the State of Israel and Zionists," the document stated.
While Israel is not formally recognized, it is mentioned as
a party to peace agreements and Camp David Accords. Jews
and Judaism are portrayed negatively, but martyrdom is
depicted as a positive national trend, according to the
report.
The Israeli document is based on a study of 26 textbooks
ranging from history, geography, economics, civic studies, and
language books currently used by grade 4 and junior high
students in Palestinian schools. The PA Education Ministry has
been gradually replacing antiquated textbooks since the Oslo
Accords came into effect in the 1990s.
Certain maps and topics refer to "Historical Palestine" and
later as Palestine where the map of Israel and the West Bank
and Gaza appear.
Other maps portray the defined borders of the West Bank and
the Gaza Strip under the heading of the Palestinian Authority.
The report suggests that such divisions teach pupils to
believe that the PA is a temporary territorial solution that
relates to two areas whereas Palestine includes Israel and the
Palestinian territories as a whole.
Surrounding countries are referred to as the "Arab World"
or "Muslim World."
The PA history books state that the Palestinian people have
rights to the "country" [Israel] as they settled in it before
the Jews, according to the report.
Some texts claim that Palestinians have resided in the area
since the Stone Age while others express the "injustice in the
establishment of the Jewish State" and state that Palestine
gained independence in 1948, after the British Mandate ended.
The report points out that Zionism is referred to as an
imperial movement and is compared to Britain and France. The
term Zionists refers to "settlers," defined as a group of
people who immigrate from a strong country to a weaker country
and take control of its land.
The Israeli report notes that the term "jihad" [holy war]
appears to be far less used than in the past and the right of
return of Palestinian refugees is hardly mentioned in any of
the books.
.gif)
.gif)
.gif)
.gif)
