PA textbook: Israel based on
‘Protocols of the Elders of Zion’
New York – Mahmoud Abbas’ Palestinian Authority (PA) has introduced in the PA school system — run independently of Hamas — a curriculum that incites hatred and murder of Jews and prepares a new generation of Palestinians to destroy Israel. The Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center in Herzliya has conducted an analysis of the new PA textbooks, which have been also incorporated in the Arab schools in Jerusalem, raising the prospect of Israeli Arab children being indoctrinated into identical modes of hateful thought and conduct (Evening Bulletin [Philadelphia], August 28).
Examples of the false information, propaganda and incitement to hatred in the new PA textbooks:
- Promotes classic anti-Semitic conspiracy theories: The First Zionist Congress at Basel fostered the Zionist State based on a secret decision of what came to be known as the ‘Protocols of the Elders of Zion.’ (Tarikh al-‘Alam al-Hadith wal Mu-‘asir (History of the News Modern World), 10th grade textbook, pp. 60-64).
- Promote terrorism and ‘martyrdom’ as rightful methods to achieve Palestinian goals: The heroic mother, “who incessantly presents one sacrifice [fida’] after another” (Lughatuna al-Jamila (Our Beautiful Language), Vol 2, 5th grade textbook, p. 31). ‘The warrior goes to war faced with one of the good options: victory or martyrdom in battle for the sake of Allah’ (Ibid. Vol. 1, 5th grade textbook, p. 70). ‘Allah gave the people of this land (Al-Sham and Palestine) an important task: they must stand on the forefront of the Muslim campaign against their enemies, and only if they fulfill their duty to their religion, nation, and land will they be rewarded as stated in the scriptures’ (Al-Tarbiya al-Islamiyyah (Islamic Education), Vol 2, 10th grade textbook, p. 50).
- Falsifies history by claiming Jews never lived in Israel: Claims that the only ancient inhabitants of Israel were Arabs; ‘Concentrated…in the land of Al-Sham [Greater Syria]…was the culture of the Canaanite and Aramaic peoples who migrated there from the Arab peninsula’ (Tarikh al-Hadarat al-Qadima (History of Ancient Civilizations), 5th grade textbook, Foreword).
- Israel does not appear on any maps of the world in the new PA textbooks , with the name ‘Palestine’ substituted on each map where the territory of Israel appears.
- Describe parts of Israel as being Palestinian: ‘Haifa is a Palestinian seaport’ (Lughatuna al-Jamila (Our Beautiful Language) Vol. 2, 5th grade textbook, p. 86). ‘Galilee, Nazareth and Beit She’an are regions in Palestine’ (p. 7) (Al-Iqtisad al-Manzili (Home Economy), 10th grade textbook, pp. 36-37).
- Recycles falsehoods about Jewish attacks on Muslim holy sites: The new Palestinian School Books make the false claim that an ‘extremist Zionist’ set fire to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in 1969, (Tarikh al’Alam al-Hadith wal-Mu’asir (History of the new Modern World), 10th grade textbook, p.106).
ZOA Chairman of the Board Dr. Michael Goldblatt said , “As this latest study from the Intelligence and Terrorism Center indicates, the PA under Abbas remains a regime that promotes, lauds and encourages terrorism, extremism and hate, making the prospect of peace an impossibility. All the elections or negotiations in the world will not bring peace so long as the Palestinian Arabs’ educational system is based on promotion of hatred and violence.
“These findings are additionally disturbing because they demonstrate that no change for the better has taken place in Palestinian education over the past few years. Palestinians have not reviewed their attitudes and decided to embark on the road to a genuine peace and reconciliation with Israel. On the contrary, the Palestinian educational curriculum continues to inculcate rejection of Israel and the promise of one day destroying her.
“This is but one of the many aspects of the incitement to hatred and violence that the PA has done nothing to stop, despite its obligations under the signed Oslo agreements and the 2003 Roadmap peace plan. The PA educational curriculum is but one example among many why the PA should be ineligible for any foreign aid until it meets its obligations, including that of ending incitement. We renew our call upon the Bush Administration to cut ties to the PA because it remains a terrorist-supporting, hostile regime.”