What UNRWA Should not Teach in its Schools

Member, Advisory Council on the Comprehensive study of incitement in Middle East textbooks, commissioned by the Council for Religious Institutions in the Holy Land, an interfaith association of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim leaders

UNRWA is a UN agency that is responsible, among other tasks, for the education of Palestinian refugee children in its own schools. It uses textbooks provided by the Arab various governments, including the Palestinian Authority. These books sometimes contain items that palpably negate UNRWA’s mandate as a UN agency committed to the ideal of peace in the Middle East (as indeed is stated in a slogan appearing on its own Web site: “Peace Starts Here”) and obliged to treat all UN member states – including Israel – equally and without prejudice. Following are examples of various themes that are taught in UNRWA’s schools in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in contradiction to these principles:

Promotion of Violent Struggle against Israel

That is done by teaching poems which stress the violent return of the refugees and mention Jihad in this context, present violent struggle as the means for the liberation of Palestine and exalt martyrdom in this context as a noble death to be sought:

…عائدون للديار للسهول للجبال

تحت اعلام الÙخار والجهاد والنضال

بالدماء والÙداء والاخاء والوÙاء…

(دولة Ùلسطين, وزارة التربية والتعليم العالي, لغتنا الجميلة للص٠الخامس الاساسي, الجزء الاول, 2011, ص 50)

…Returning to the homes to the valleys, to the mountains

Under the flags of glory Jihad and struggle

In blood and sacrifice fraternity and faithfulness…

(The State of Palestine, Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Our Beautiful Language, Grade 5, Part 1, 2011, p. 50)

5. اوÙÙ‚ بين الاسطر الشعرية والعواط٠التي تعبر عنها Ùيما يأتي:

…صباح المجد والحرية الحمراء يرويها دم الشهداء… – التÙاؤل بتحرير Ùلسطين

(دولة Ùلسطين, وزارة التربية والتعليم العالي, المطالعة والنصوص للص٠التاسع الاساسي, الجزء الاول, 2011, ص 24)

5. I will reconcile between the following poetical lines and the feelings they express:

…The morning of glory and red liberty watered by the martyrs’ blood… – The hope for the liberation of Palestine.

(The State of Palestine, Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Reading and Texts, Grade 9, Part 1, 2011, p. 24)

الشهيد

سأحمل روحي على راحتي والقي بها ÙÙŠ مهاوي الردى

…ارى مقتلي دون حقي السليب ودون بلادي هو المبتغى

يلذ لأذني سماع الصليل ويبهج Ù†Ùسي مسيل الدما

وجسم تجدل ÙÙŠ الصحصحان تناوشه جارحات الÙلا

…لعمرك هذا ممات الرجال ومن رمى موتا شريÙا Ùذا…

(دولة Ùلسطين, وزارة التربية والتعليم العالي, لغتنا الجميلة للص٠السابع الاساسي, الجزء الاول, 2002, ص 81)

The Martyr

I shall carry my soul in my palm and toss it into the abyss of destruction

…I see my death without my stolen right and without my country as a desired one

Hearing [weapons’] clash is pleasant to my ear and the flow of blood gladdens my soul

As well as a body thrown upon the ground skirmished over by the desert predators

…By your life! This is the death of men and whoever asks for a noble death – here it is!…

(The State of Palestine, Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Our Beautiful Language, Grade 7, Part 1, 2002, p. 81 [p. 97 in the 2001 edition])

Dissemination of Hatred toward Jews and Israel

That is done by means of dehumanizing and demonizing literary pieces:

لعمرك! كي٠تغزونا اÙاع…

(دولة Ùلسطين, وزارة التربية والتعليم العالي, اللغة العربية – العلوم اللغوية للص٠الثاني الثانوي (12), 2009, ص 61)

By your life! How come that snakes invade us…

(The State of Palestine, Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Arabic Language – Linguistic Sciences, Grade 12, 2009, p. 61)

…ان اعداءكم قتلوا اطÙالكم, وبقروا بطون نسائكم, وأخذوا بلحى شيوخكم الاجلاء Ùساقوهم الى Ø­Ùائر الموت سوقا…

(دولة Ùلسطين, وزالاة التربية والتعليم العالي, المطالعة والنصوص للص٠الثامن الاساسي, الجزء الثاني, 2003, ص 16)

…Your enemies killed your children, split open your women’s bellies, took your revered elderly people by the beard and led them to the death pits…

(The State of Palestine, Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Reading and texts, Grade 8, Part 2, 2003, p. 16)

Eradication of Jewish and Israeli Presence through Provision of False Information

That is being done by way of counting Palestine, not Israel, as one of the Levant states, failing to mention the 6 million Israeli Jews (not the Israeli Arabs, though) among the legitimate inhabitants of the land, presenting the Jewish holy places as Muslim ones usurped by Jews and erasing a Hebrew inscription from a stamp issued by British Mandate authorities:

…تتأل٠بلاد الشام ÙÙŠ الوقت الحالي من الدول الآتية: Ùلسطين والاردن ولبنان وسوريا.

(دولة Ùلسطين, وزارة التربية والتعليم العالي, تاريخ الحضارات القديمة للص٠الخامس الاساسي, 2009, ص 27)

…The Levant [Bilad al-Sham in Arabic] presently consists of the following states: Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.

(The State of Palestine, Ministry of Education and Higher Education, History of the Ancient Civilizations, Grade 5, 2009, p. 27)

نتÙحص المعطيات الرقمية – سكان Ùلسطين ÙÙŠ 1/2/1999 Ù…

النسبة المئوية

1) الضÙØ© 1,972,000

2) غزة 1,113,000 36%

3) Ùلسطينيو الداخل 1,094,000 13%

4) Ùلسطينيو الشتات 4,419,000 51%

المجموع 8,598,000 100%

(دولة Ùلسطين, وزارة التربية والتعليم العالي, التربية الوطنية للص٠السادس الاساسي, 2004, ص 11)

Let us examine the figures – the inhabitants of Palestine on 1.2.1999

Percentage

1) The [West] Bank 1,972,000

2) [The] Gaza [Strip] 1,113,000 36%

3) The Palestinians of the Interior [that is, pre-1967 Israel] 1,094,000 13%

4) The Palestinians of the Diaspora 4,419,000 51%

Total 8,598,000 100%

(The State of Palestine, Ministry of Education and Higher Education, National Education, Grade 6, 2004, p. 11)

محاولات طمس التراث الÙلسطيني…

…محاولة تهويد بعض الاماكن الدينية الاسلامية مثل المسجد الابراهيمي ومسجد بلال بن رباح…

(دولة Ùلسطين, وزارة التربية والتعليم, التربية الوطنية للص٠السابع الاساسي, 2001, ص 55)

Attempts at the Obliteration of Palestinian Heritage…

…An attempt to Judaize some of the Muslim religious places such as the Ibrahimi Mosque [that is, the Cave of the Patriarchs, also known as Machpelah] and the Mosque of Bilal bin Rabbah [i.e., Rachel’s Tomb]…

(The State of Palestine, Ministry of Education, National Education, Grade 7, 2001, p. 55)

(دولة Ùلسطين, وزارة التربية والتعليم, التربية الوطنية للص٠الثاني الاساسي, الجزء الاول, 2002, ص 7)
(The State of Palestine, Ministry of Education, National Education, Grade 2, 2001, p. 7 [and on the cover])

The original stamp

These are examples of items that UNRWA should not teach in its schools.

Dr. Arnon Groiss works as a senior journalist for the Israel Broadcast Authority’s Arabic Radio (since 1973) and has completed his Masters and Doctorate degrees at Princeton University’s Dept. of Near Eastern Studies. He also has a Masters degree in Public Administration (MPA) from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. From 2000 until 2010 , Groiss conducted research of school textbooks for almost all Middle Eastern nations and authored reports submitted to the US Congress, European Parliament and UNESCO, published under the auspices of the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education. http://www.impact-se.org