“NATIONAL EDUCATION FOR SIXTH GRADE” Published by the “Ministry of Education for the State of Palestine”. presented September 2000.

. Pages 8 – 9. A GEOGRAHIC MAP SHOWS WHAT IS CURRENTLY INTERNATIONALLY DESIGNATED AS ISRAEL AND THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY AREAS, BUT ISRAEL IS MISSING FROM THE TITLE OF THE MAP

[Ed. From the content of these pages it is clear that this entire area is referred to only as Palestine]

[The student is instructed to] “Look at the map and answer the following questions…..

1. What are the natural resources of Palestine? 2….Mention the borders of Palestine from all four sides. 3. “Which are the continents which Palestine connects?” 4. Mention the seas that are “on the land of Palestine”.

The Location of Palestine.

Palestine has an important place in the heart of the Arabic motherland because

1. She is the connection between three continents, Asia, Africa, and Europe.

2. She is the connection between the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, and that is why she is extremely important from a strategic, political and military point of view………….”

HISTORICAL PALESTINE

“In the division of Palestine, there are four parts:

1. The coastline. The cities that are on its coast are Acco, Haifa, Jaffa and Gaza. 2. The mountain areas which include the Galilee, Nablus, Jerusalem, Hebron, and the cities which include Nazareth, Jenin, Tulkharam, Nablus, Ramallah, Jerusalem and Hebron 3. The Jordan Valley which extends from Lake of Tiberius to the Dead Sea. 4. The Negev comprises half of the territory of Palestine [geographically]. This is semi desert & its important city is Beer Sheva……….

THE WATER RESOURCES OF PALESTINE I. Rain II. Other water sources include A. Rivers, including the River Jordan and springs,and rivers Al-Muqata, Al-Odja and Al-Faria. B. Lakes – the most important is the Lake of Tiberius

165 square km. In area and consisting of sweet water, and the Dead Sea, 1050 square km. with salt water. It is also rich in minerals.

3. Underground water, which is in the form of springs and wells. [Ed. This is a literal translation. One presumes that the reference is to the aquifers although the sentence construction is ambiguous.]

Page 11

1. Draw a map of historical Palestine 2. Indicate the main cities on the coastline. 3. Indicate the main cities in the Jordan Valley.

THE POPULATION OF PALESTINE IN FEBRUARY 1999.

1. The West Bank 1,972,000 2. Gaza 1,113,000 3. Palestinians Within Palestine 1,094,000 4. Palestinians Outside Palestine 4,419,000

5. TOTAL 8,598,000

[Ed. Note: There is an absence of statistics for the Jewish population residing in the area currently known as the state of Israel].

Page 11

“Let’s understand that… Palestine is a part of the great Arabic motherland and the Palestinian people are a part of the Arabic nation. Arabic unity is the goal that the Palestinian people work for”, quoted from the Laws of the Palestinian National Authority. Chapter 1, Paragraph 1.

Page 13. Characteristics of Palestinian Society… “All of Palestinian History is a struggle manifested by courage and bravery. The Palestinian people fought the British authority and Israeli occupation and they have revolted several times. They had thousands of martyrs and wounded……….’

[Ed. Regarding Arabic National Issues}…

4. The flag of the Palestinian National Movement is the Arabic flag and the national anthem is the Arabic anthem. Arabic unity is the desire of the Palestinian people.

5. In Palestinian society brotherhood and tolerance exists between the Moslems and the Christians…

“The Palestinian people were expelled from their land because of the Israeli occupation of Palestine, and the Palestinian people were subjected to massacres and made to emigrate to neighboring states.

Page 15. 3 photographs show…

A. Arab revolt of 1936 B. Subtitle reads “This is the map of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Gaza” C. Azzadin-al-Kassam (Mujahid)**

The following questions then appear 1. Mention the name of the Imperial power which colonized Palestine from 1918 to 1948. 2. Mention the means which the Palestinian people used to fight the British imperialists. 3. Give the name of the Arabic leader who died as a martyr in Yaabad in 1935 in his fight against British imperialism…”

**NOTE: AZZADIN AL-KASSAM IS THE MARTYR AND HERO OF THE VIOLENT MOSLEM MOVEMENT “HAMAS”

Page 17

1. “Imperialism”…[talks of British imperialism]…”and the Israeli occupation in 1948 with the help of Great Britain”…Israeli occupation has destroyed most of the Palestinian cities and villages, expelled the Palestinian residents and forced them to leave their lands and villages.

2. Israel has embraced a new policy in occupying the Palestinian lands, which is settling the land and including developing agricultural,industrial and residential components

[Ed. NOTE: the Arabic words used for “settling the land by Israelis” has a highly pejorative implication in Arabic].

3. Under the Israeli conquest, [the Israelis] were neglecting the health, education and social services of the Palestinian people.

4. Israel took control of underground water supplies in Palestine.

5. The lack of independence of the Palestinian economy…being influenced by the Israeli economy…

6. Judaizing Jerusalem and obliterating the Palestinian identity of its [Arab] residents.

Page 18

2. Explain the policy which Israel carried out against the Palestinian people after its conquest of Palestine. FILL IN THE MISSING WORDS [IN THE FOLLOWING SENTENCE]

3. part C. The leader Azzadin al-Kassam died as a martyr while fighting against the occupation…[student is instructed to fill in the answer in the dotted line spaces provided]whereas the leader Khalil il Wazir (Abu Jihad)died as a martyr while fighting against the occupation [fill in the answers here]…. [Ed. required answer to the first part is “by the British”. Required answer to the second part is: “the Israelis”.]

Page 19

Write a short report regarding the negative effects resulting from the “settling of the land” by the Israelis.

Page 29 THE STATE

[from the Declaration of Independence (of the state of Palestine) on 15 November 1988 at the meeting in Algeria]

The National Council declares in the name of God and in the name of the Arab Palestinian people the establishment of the State of Palestine on our Palestinian land, and its capital Holy Jerusalem. The State of Palestine is an Arabic state and is part of the Arabic nation and is a part of its tradition and culture.

[Questions relating to this are ]

1. When was the Palestinian state declared?

2. Name the capital of the Palestinian state.

Page 30

The declaration of the creation of the state of Palestine and its capital, Holy Jerusalem occurred in Algeria in 1988.

Page 32 [Ed.] Includes a significant portion of the Declaration of Independence of 1988….not further translated in this report at this time.

Page 64 entitled “Me and The Others” [talks of] Invention, Tolerance, Racism, Imitation*, Justice and Values… [Asks the student to]….. Explain the dangers of racism in the society. [ *which may be either positive or negative imitation.]

On Page 70… A picture illustrates a Moslem Imam and Christian Cleric shaking hands. [Ed. Nowhere is any reference made regarding tolerance towards the Jews]

Page 72 Question 1. “What is the position of the Islamic religion about the people of other revealed religions?

[Ed. NOTE. Connotation of “other revealed religions” is of Judaism and Christianity]

[Quotes a line from the Koran regarding the People of the Book]…….. “Don’t argue with the People of the Book unless it is for something good”

[Ed. NOTE: Although specifically mentioning Moslems and Christians, there is no mention of the Jews, in this textbook despite the fact that Islamic culture traditionally recognizes the three religions, Moslems, Christians and Jews as People of the Book. The item quoted from page 72 may be an oblique reference to Jews and possibly an entree to discussions in the classroom regarding the Jews and the policy of the Palestinians]

Page 73 Shows Picture A.[subtitled] “Release of a [ Palestinian] prisoner”

[Asks] Question 4: “What are the feelings of the person, after his release, and also when his motherland is liberated from the imperialists?”.

[continues] Question 5. “Mention a few of the movements and revolts that took place in Palestine and the Arabic motherland for freedom”

Page 75

Shows two columns with name of country and event.[and asks student to pair up country with appropriate event]. [Subtitle explains.]…”The Movement of Struggle for Freedom and Independence” Name of Country and…Event

Morocco Revolt of Saad Zaghlul in 1919 against the British Iraq Revolt of Azzadin al-Kassam against the British Palestine Revolt of Abd al-Karim al- Khitabi against the Spanish Algeria Revolt of Rashid al-Kilani against the British Egypt Revolt of Abd al-Kader al-Jazayiri against the French

[Ed. NOTE: The required answer is to pair “Palestine” with “Azzadin al-Kassam”. This is yet another glorified reference to Azzadin-al-Kassam who is the marytred hero of the “Hamas” Movement]]

EDITOR’S EPLIGOUE The 1993 Declaration of Principles of the Oslo process required both the Israeli government and the PLO to introduce a peace education program for both the Israeli and Palestinian populations. Seven years later, the peace curriculum is in its seventh year of operation in the Israel Ministry of Education.

Now that the PLO’s Palestinian Authority has finally introduced its own curriculum into its school system, there is no indication of peace education or reconciliation with the Israelis.

It is as if seven years of a peace process never happened.

END OF REPORT

The writer is a research psychiatrist who recently retired from active work at the Truman Center for Peace, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel

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