(Times of Israel) Marcus Sheff - "We are neighbors on this holy land and we want peace," PA President Abbas announced to the international community on Christmas Eve. So why are none of these aspirations for peace with Israel in the Palestinian school curriculum? The current curriculum is made up of nearly 200 books that together represent the expression of Palestinian national identity and reflect the values that the PA wishes to pass down to future generations. But the word "peace" does not appear at all. Instead, the textbooks delegitimize and demonize Israel, characterizing Israel as "an evil entity that should be annihilated." On textbook maps, the entire area from the Jordan Valley to the Mediterranean Sea is marked as Palestine. Textbooks promote a continual war drawing on a culture of martyrdom and specifically reject negotiations. The writer is CEO at IMPACT-SE, a research and policy organization that monitors education to determine compliance with international standards on peace and tolerance.
2017-01-06 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive