User:Gblack501/sandbox

--Gblack501 (talk) 18:18, 16 May 2013 (UTC)

Textbooks in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
As the Israeli-Palestinian crisis continues without resolution, many scholars and researchers have examined textbooks used by both sides to see whether inconsistencies and a one-sided teaching of history may be one reason why Israelis and Palestinians are still locked in conflict. Following the 1948 war, Israel’s Ministry of Education asserted strict guidelines on textbooks written for Palestinian students, with writers required to adhere from the instructions of the ministry. Thus, from the middle of the nineteenth century to the early two thousands, textbooks for Palestinian students contained few significant changes.

Other studies have looked at discrepancies between Israeli textbooks and its counterparts that are issued by the Palestinian Authority. A study conducted by the Georg Eckert Institute for International Textbook Research found that both sides show very one-sided interpretations of history, often referring to the same events under different headlines: “What is said to be a ‘national catastrophe’ on one side is depicted as a ‘War of Independence”. . .of the other” (Kriener) Further research was conducted by Sami Adwan of Bethlehem University and Dr. Ruth Firer of Hebrew University, whose study included thirteen Israeli textbooks and nine Palestinian textbooks. From the study, the researchers found several areas in which both sides lacked: Both Israeli and Palestinian textbooks put little emphasis on times peace and coexistence, referring to these periods as intervals between conflict. Both sides also fail to explain the conflict from the enemy’s point of view, while also skipping over the victims and people who suffered on the other side of the war.

Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land
The most recent study was commissioned by Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land, an organization run by Islamic, Jewish and Christian leaders. Unlike studies done by small groups or individuals, this study, which received funding from the US Department of State has claimed to have taken a more scientific approach, having both Palestinian and Israeli researchers review textbooks for evidence of bias.

The study was released on Monday, February 1, 2013, presenting findings from both Israeli and Palestinian textbooks. Israel’s Education Ministry has boycotted the study saying it was “biased and based on a false comparison between Israeli and Palestinian school systems”. Attacking Palestinian textbooks for bias has been a recurring theme in Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government’s statements. The study was also controversial because the conductors referred to it as the most organized and comprehensive books from both groups of people; 94 Palestinian textbooks and 74 Israeli textbooks were reviewed. The Israeli and Palestinian books were put through the same testing and questioning by experts from both sides.

The report found that neither side openly attacked the other, but both are accused of failing to present topics impartially. The Palestinians have used the study to counter Israel’s claims that they are misrepresented in Palestinian textbooks. While reviewing the Palestinian textbooks, “extreme negative characterizations” were only noted six times, which was considered insignificant. Even though the study found few instances of outright incitement, both sides portray the other as the enemy while presenting themselves almost completely in positive terms. Researchers also examined the maps present in textbooks, and found that 76 percent of post-1967 maps in Israeli textbooks do not show the land held by the Palestinian Authority, depicting Israel as all land between the river and the sea, while 58 percent of post-1967 maps from Palestinian sources fail to mention Israel. Overall, the study says that “there is a lack of information about the religions, culture, economic and daily activities of the other, or even the existence of the other”. The study was intended by the Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land to encourage both sides to humanize their textbooks and to intergrate peace and religious tolerance into the curriculum.

Nakba Terminology
Education Ministry of Israel said the word would create a “catastrophe”. The term itself was used to describe the founding of Israel in a war when about 700,000 Palestinians fled or were forced out of their homes. The quote from the textbook describing the 1948 Middle East War at the time of the making of Israel is as followed: “The Arabs call the war the nakba -- a war of catastrophe, loss and humiliation -- and the Jews call it the Independence War”. This book was aimed for children that were about 8 to 9 years old.