Score one for Israel

Score one for being open and honest on a very contentious issue.
:bravo:

[quote=“BBC: Israeli textbook states Arab view”]The Israeli government has approved a school textbook that for the first time presents the Palestinian denunciation of the creation of Israel in 1948.

The book, to be used only in Israeli Arab schools, notes that Palestinians describe the event as a “catastrophe”.

“Both the Israeli and Palestinian versions have to be presented,” education minister Yuli Tamir said.

The book was condemned by right-wing politicians but hailed by Arab Israelis who say all schools should use it.

The new textbook notes that “some of the Palestinians were expelled following the War of Independence and that many Arab-owned lands were confiscated”, the education ministry said.

Palestinians refer to Israel’s creation in 1948 - in which hundreds of thousands of Arabs fled in the wake of the independence war - as “al nakba”, or the catastrophe.

They blame the Jewish state for usurping their land.

The new textbook also says Arab leaders rejected a UN partition plan for Palestine to be split into Israeli and Palestinian states, and that Jewish leaders accepted it.

Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman denounced the book on army radio, blaming “the masochism and defeatism of the Israeli left, which constantly seeks to apologise, while we did what we had to”.

Former Education Minister Limor Livnat of the right-wing Likud party said it would encourage Arabs to take up arms against Israel.[/quote]

So what?
It’s not like they’re preaching to the converted …
In any nation, ALL high school history, and most undergrad work is but a simplified skimming of the surface…

[quote=“Jaboney”]Score one for being open and honest on a very contentious issue.
:bravo:

[quote=“BBC: Israeli textbook states Arab view”]

The book, to be used only in Israeli Arab schools, notes that Palestinians describe the event as a “catastrophe”.

[/quote][/quote]

It’s a positive step…but as it will only be used in Israeli Arab schools the impact will be negligible…the Parents of these children would most likely tell them about “catastrophe”… The young Israeli Jews who need to learn about the “catastrophe” will still be none the wiser…

Population stats: Jewish aprox. 75% Arabs aprox. 19%

BTW, Israeli Arab Schools, Jewish Schools?..is the education system segregated in Israel?

At the insistence of both the Jewish and Arab Israelis, yes. It started because the Arabs and Jews lived in mainly isolated communities, and so the schools were predominantly (but not uniformly) Arab or Jewish. The official segregation policies started because the Arab Israelis insisted Arabic be the language of instruction for their children, while the Jews wanted Hebrew used. Both sides agreed to divide the schools between Arabic and Hebrew speaking. However, that does not mean the Jews can’t send their kids to Arab schools or the Arabs can’t send their kids to Jewish schools. The parents just have to agree that their children will be taught in whatever the school’s language of instruction is. There are some mixed private schools that use bilingual education.

Or maybe not . . .

SECOND CLASS: Discrimination Against Palestinian Arab Children in Israel’s Schools
– HRW

:laughing: I said “Score one”, not “Game, set, match.”

So what?
It’s not like they’re preaching to the converted …
In any nation, ALL high school history, and most undergrad work is but a simplified skimming of the surface…[/quote]

Owww!

HG

[quote=“spook”]Or maybe not . . .

SECOND CLASS: Discrimination Against Palestinian Arab Children in Israel’s Schools
– HRW[/quote]

LOL. From the link you provided:

[quote]From their first day in kindergarten until they reach university, Palestinian Arab and Jewish children almost always attend separate schools. Palestinian Arab children are taught in Arabic, Jewish children in Hebrew. The two systems’ curricula are similar but not identical. For example, Hebrew is taught as a second language in Arab schools, while Jewish students are not required to study Arabic.

There is little support in Israel for integrating Jewish and Arab schools.31 Although there are a few well-known exceptions, including several mixed kindergartens and private experiments with peace education, even these efforts are experiencing great strain since the confrontations in October 2000 in which Israeli police killed thirteen Palestinian Arab citizens. No one Human Rights Watch interviewed, either Jewish or Palestinian Arab, expressed a desire for integration, although Palestinian Arab students were often quite enthusiastic about school-related exchange programs with Jewish children. Rather than seeking integration, many Palestinian Arab citizens are asking for autonomy over their education system.32

The law does not prohibit Palestinian Arab parents from enrolling their children in Jewish schools, but in practice, very few Palestinian Arab parents send their children to Jewish schools.33 Enrollment is based on residence; thus, enrollment in a Jewish school is only a real choice in mixed cities like Jaffa and Haifa; even in these, neighborhoods are mostly segregated, and there are separate schools for Palestinian Arabs and Jews. The vast majority of Palestinian Arabs live in towns and villages where the only option is an Arab school. [/quote]

Thanks for posting a link that substantiates everything I said, spook. :slight_smile:

[quote=“gao_bo_han”][quote=“spook”]Or maybe not . . .

SECOND CLASS: Discrimination Against Palestinian Arab Children in Israel’s Schools
– HRW[/quote]

LOL. From the link you provided:

[quote]From their first day in kindergarten until they reach university, Palestinian Arab and Jewish children almost always attend separate schools. Palestinian Arab children are taught in Arabic, Jewish children in Hebrew. The two systems’ curricula are similar but not identical. For example, Hebrew is taught as a second language in Arab schools, while Jewish students are not required to study Arabic.

There is little support in Israel for integrating Jewish and Arab schools.31 Although there are a few well-known exceptions, including several mixed kindergartens and private experiments with peace education, even these efforts are experiencing great strain since the confrontations in October 2000 in which Israeli police killed thirteen Palestinian Arab citizens. No one Human Rights Watch interviewed, either Jewish or Palestinian Arab, expressed a desire for integration, although Palestinian Arab students were often quite enthusiastic about school-related exchange programs with Jewish children. Rather than seeking integration, many Palestinian Arab citizens are asking for autonomy over their education system.32

The law does not prohibit Palestinian Arab parents from enrolling their children in Jewish schools, but in practice, very few Palestinian Arab parents send their children to Jewish schools.33 Enrollment is based on residence; thus, enrollment in a Jewish school is only a real choice in mixed cities like Jaffa and Haifa; even in these, neighborhoods are mostly segregated, and there are separate schools for Palestinian Arabs and Jews. The vast majority of Palestinian Arabs live in towns and villages where the only option is an Arab school. [/quote]

Thanks for posting a link that substantiates everything I said, spook. :slight_smile:[/quote]

It also substantiates everything you didn’t say. Also known as the sin of omission.

Sort of like how you forget to discuss the state of Jewish education and schools in the Arab World. Oh, that’s right, I forgot, there aren’t any… Now, why is that again?

Oh I know, I know! Oh pick me teacher! Pick me!

I think we all agree that Arab societies in general are repressive and backwards so arguing that fact would be beating a dead horse – or, more likely, a red herring. It is worth noting though that the largest Jewish community in the Middle East outside Israel is in Iran.

I do believe it’s disingenuous though to suggest that Israeli society is somehow separate but equal. Just as ‘separate but equal’ was a myth in 19th and 20th century America, it’s a myth in modern day Israel:

"Over half of the Jewish population in Israel believes the marriage of a Jewish woman to an Arab man is equal to national treason, according to a recent survey by the Geocartography Institute.

The survey, which was conducted for the Center Against Racism, also found that over 75 percent of participants did not approve of apartment buildings being shared between Arabs and Jews. Sixty percent of participants said they would not allow an Arab to visit their home. Five hundred Jewish men and women participated in the poll, which was published Tuesday. . . .

About 40 percent of participants agreed that “Arabs should have their right to vote for Knesset revoked”. . . . Also, over half of the participants agreed that Israel should encourage its Arab citizens to immigrate from the country.

Over half of the participants said they would not want to work under the direct management of an Arab, and 55 percent said “Arabs and Jews should be separated at entertainment sites”. . . .

When asked what they thought of Arab culture, over 37 percent replied, “The Arab culture is inferior.” . . . ."

[quote]I think we all agree that Arab societies in general are repressive and backwards so arguing that fact would be beating a dead horse – or, more likely, a red herring. It is worth noting though that the largest Jewish community in the Middle East outside Israel is in Iran.

I do believe it’s disingenuous though to suggest that Israeli society is somehow separate but equal. Just as ‘separate but equal’ was a myth in 19th and 20th century America, it’s a myth in modern day Israel:

"Over half of the Jewish population in Israel believes the marriage of a Jewish woman to an Arab man is equal to national treason, according to a recent survey by the Geocartography Institute.

The survey, which was conducted for the Center Against Racism, also found that over 75 percent of participants did not approve of apartment buildings being shared between Arabs and Jews. Sixty percent of participants said they would not allow an Arab to visit their home. Five hundred Jewish men and women participated in the poll, which was published Tuesday. . . .

About 40 percent of participants agreed that “Arabs should have their right to vote for Knesset revoked”. . . . Also, over half of the participants agreed that Israel should encourage its Arab citizens to immigrate from the country.

Over half of the participants said they would not want to work under the direct management of an Arab, and 55 percent said “Arabs and Jews should be separated at entertainment sites”. . . .

When asked what they thought of Arab culture, over 37 percent replied, “The Arab culture is inferior.” . . . .[/quote]

I wonder if in 1942, the Jews would also have been equally wrong to view the Germans with the same sentiments. Let’s face it. Most of the terrorism, intolerance and such has been via Arab hands. For the Jews to look down on and distrust the Arabs seems a pretty normal response. If you disagree, come over for the first in a series of bitch slaps that will be repeated until you get sick of them. Also, taking the security factor and the history of murder perpetrated against the Jews out of the equation is not fair. You cannot look at Israel with its indefensible borders and suggest that it is wrong of the Israelis to want to keep some kind of strategic control over the West Bank for its very survival. This is the typical ethical card that is played out while ignoring the very real strategic threats that face Israel. Likewise, we hear about all the sleep deprivation and such at Guantanamo but no one wants to discuss the responsibility of world leaders to protect their own citizens and the difficulties they face in achieving an appropriate balance.

Oh, and just to be clear, as it is currently exemplified, I would also be one of those with the 37 percent who view Arab Culture as inferior. I don’t care whether you rate that in terms of political, economic, social, cultural or artistic development. Yes, I view the present Arab culture as INFERIOR. And apparently, the UN committee on social development indices agrees with me. What? the UN has suddenly become anti-Arab, too? Must have something to do with Jewish control of that organization, eh?