What They Teach In Palestinian Schools

Excerpts from " The 2020–21 Palestinian School Curriculum Grades 1–12 "

The latest IMPACT-se analysis of the new Palestinian curriculum found it has moved further from meeting UNESCO standards and the newly published textbooks were found to be more radical than those previously published. There is a systematic insertion of violence, martyrdom and jihad across all grades and subjects. Extreme nationalism and Islamist ideologies are widespread throughout the curriculum, including science and math textbooks. The possibility of peace with Israel is rejected. Any historical Jewish presence in the modern-day territories of Israel and the Palestinian Authority is entirely omitted from the textbooks.

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Rejection of Peace

In contrast to previous Palestinian curricula, this new curriculum methodically omits discussion of peace education in the context of the conflict with Israel. Peaceful resolution as the ultimate goal is not taught to students. Peace agreements, summits and proposals with Israel previously seen in PA schoolbooks have been removed,8 including:  A full unit about previous peace negotiations with Israel since 1948; two chapters were titled “Peace Plans and Initiatives” and “Peace Agreements.”9  Yasser Arafat’s call for a new era of coexistence, peace, and non-violence.10  Meetings between Israelis and PLO leading to peace negotiations.11  Negotiations with Israel as the ultimate goal to live side-by-side in peace and security.12  The Annapolis Conference of 2007.13  The Quartet Roadmap presented by the Bush administration's “Roadmap Plan” in 2003.14  The Camp David Accords of 2000.15  The Wye River agreement of 1998.16  The Hebron agreement of 1997.17  The Cairo agreement of 1994.18  Israel’s peace treaty with Jordan in 1994.19

Increased Radicalization

The new textbooks examined in IMPACT-se's reports show incitement to martyrdom, using various methods to convince children to sacrifice their lives. The need for continuous struggle is emphasized through all the textbooks using terminology like ‘revolution,” “uprising,” “ribat” and “jihad.”

Lessons in the textbooks link the violent early Islamic period to the current “national struggle,” invoking a sense of historical destiny. The rewards of paradise are outlined, including the promise of virgin brides. Those who pursue personal success are portrayed as cowards. Subliminal messaging is evident, using conflict-related images to teach science and math. There are an increased number of references to a desire for a Palestinian national homeland in modern day Israel.

The fate of Jews living in Israel is characterized by violence in a poem which appeared in the textbooks until last year and called on Palestinians to “annihilate the remnants of the foreigners” after “eliminating the usurper.”33 The new curriculum emphasizes the return of Palestinian refugees beyond the 1949 demarcation lines and the establishment of Palestinian sovereignty in Israel, leading students to understand that the struggle for liberation does not end at the West Bank and Gaza. Jews and Israel are vilified to a greater extent than in previous curricula and antisemitism is more prevalent throughout.

The State of Israel is mostly described as the “Zionist Occupation” throughout the entire corpus of the new curriculum. When the name “Israel” does appear, it is often with quotation marks—further delegitimizing the same State of Israel. Textbooks systematically demonize Israel and the Jewish-Israeli Other is portrayed in a solely negative fashion. Jews are maligned and presented as a rival of the Prophet of Islam. No objective information is provided about Israel and Jews that would serve to counterbalance these portrayals. In short, there is no encouragement towards coexistence throughout the entire curriculum.

Antisemitism 

An eleventh-grade Palestinian history textbook implies that Jews control the world, using classic antisemitic imagery of an arm with a Star of David holding a globe (example 4).  Students are taught an antisemitic canard that Jews control money, the media, and politics, and use them for their own benefit (example 6).  Jews are characterized as sinful liars and fraudsters as they turned their backs on the Prophet in early Islam (example 51). 

Jews are understood to be the “enemies of Islam in all times and places” following a passage teaching about the Jews’ attempt to kill the Prophet Muhammad (example 13).  An Islamic education chapter clearly teaches that Jews are corrupt and are doomed to destruction as their “corruption of the land was and will be the cause of their annihilation” (example 46).  Khalil al-Sakakini, well known as an antisemite and Nazi supporter who applauded terror attacks against Jewish civilians, is described as a Palestinian hero and role model whose footsteps should be followed. Sakakini stated that Jews control the media and that Hitler opened the world's eyes to the myth of Jewish power (example 16).  “The Zionist Occupation” is accused of desecrating the tombs of Muslim leaders and “shoveling them away and removing them from Muslims' cemeteries” (example 14).

Violence Inserted into Science and Math

 A fourth grade math exercise asks students to calculate the number of martyrs (including those who have led suicide bombings on buses and shopping centers) in Palestinians uprisings and it accompanied by a photograph of raised coffins at a mass funeral (example 2).  Newton’s Second Law is exemplified by a boy using a slingshot aimed at soldiers. Students are asked “what are the forces that influence the object after its release from the branch (slingshot) and the coil” (example 5).  Speed and acceleration are taught through a violent example of a young girl using a slingshot.

The students are asked what the rock's acceleration speed would be “if the young girl doubles the slingshot's speed, but the radius stays constant” (example 76).  In a decontextualized reference to the conflict, probability is taught through an example of an Israeli shooting at passing Palestinian cars. Students are asked: “If the probability of hitting the car with the first shot is 0.7, and the settler fired at ten cars, what do you expect the number of vehicles hit to be?” (example 30).  Elastic energy is exemplified in a science textbook by a slingshot that is being used during a conflict. An image accompanies the example of a masked Palestinian boy who is aiming a slingshot against a backdrop of fire and rioting (example 10). 14  Linear equations are taught through references to the Cave of the Patriarchs massacre, instructing students to “Calculate the number of martyrs and wounded in the massacre if it is known that the number of wounded is five times the number of martyrs. Assume that the number of martyrs of the massacre is X martyrs” (example 19).  Statistics is taught using a frequency table featuring the numbers of “martyrs” killed by Israel (example 31).  Proliferation of materials in the air is taught through an image of a masked Palestinian child in a cloud of tear gas fired by “Zionist Occupation soldiers.”

Students are asked to explain the smell of tear gas, its effect on the environment and public health, and to give examples of other materials that spread through the air (example 104).  Biology is taught through the example of Mohammed A-Dura, a 12-year-old killed in a crossfire between the Israeli military and Palestinians to teach about the nervous system. The exercise asks students to compare the effects of the nervous system on different body functions such as bladder, heart rate, lungs etc. (example 47).  A chemistry chapter about chemical solutions is taught using an illustration and example of water and salt solution that keep Palestinian prisoners alive during hunger strikes (example 85).

So, you’re saying that generations of oppression lead to radicalisation.

Well done.

@shavixmir said
So, you’re saying that generations of oppression lead to radicalisation.

Well done.

@rajk999 said
Yes, well that too. There was some talk about schools being demolished in the West Bank. This is the reason. Also if the parents send their children to these kinds of schools they are complicit in the indoctrination of their children and this is the reason why they turn out to be terrorists. There are very few innocent people in Gaza, which is a breeding ground for terrorists.

@kevcvs57 said
Gfy the schools were demolished out of sheer petty revenge by the same oppressive policy makers that supported Hamas against the PLA and then drove gazans right into their arms because the last thing the greater Israel project wants or needs is a peaceful Palestinian leadership

@rajk999 said
I thought you were a nice decent lady.

@suzianne said
The Wawa-yo-ma disease is spreading.

@Suzianne
We better tell wawa yo MAMA.

@jj-adams said
Bottom line is Islam is a suck religion and even suckier culture.
You would be forced to cover your head, wear a horse blanket to cover your disgusting female body, and not be allowed to drive a car or even leave the house without a male family member escorting you under the disgusting chitty religion you defend.
UGH.