The Israeli Education Ministry apparently has decided that the various book bannings I wrote about Saturday were insufficient. According to Ha’aretz:
The Education Ministry summoned the principal of a Sderot area high school for consultations after the school was found to be using a banned textbook that includes material on the Palestinian narrative of the Israel-Arab conflict.
The ministry recently instructed the Sha’ar Hanegev high school to cease using a history text that offers both the Israeli and Palestinian narratives of the conflict. The material in the book is taught as part of an enrichment, five-unit history class initiated by the school.
The textbook is called Learning Each Other’s Historical Narrative. Apparently, what’s so offensive about this textbook is that it presents two sides to the Israeli origin story / Palestinian nakba. Ha’aretz:
Each page in the book is divided into three sections of equal size. The Israeli narrative is presented on the right, the Palestinian narrative on the left, and down the middle are empty lines in which the students are asked to fill with their thoughts.
Read more about the textbook and download segments of it in English, Hebrew, or Arabic. In fact, if you teach high school, why not consider using it in your own classroom?
This is another I’ve posted for teachers who will probably find the material really interesting for classrooms.
Thanks, Maryanne. I wish I knew how to reach more HS teachers.
There are many Israelis who votes for peace and support such books. It is important to know we recognize Palestine rights. Hoping for peace 🙂
Surely we all must do more than hope!
Certainly I admire the stand of the principal of that Sderot area high school, using the textbook even after it was banned. I hope he keeps on keeping on.
That is both shocking and upsetting. It’s sad to see when textbooks are censored like this because then students are raised biased and without the knowledge they need to succeed and be great citizens.