Clinton sees indoctrination in texts
WASHINGTON, Feb 8, 2007 (UPI via COMTEX) -- New Palestine Authority textbooks for 12th-graders are more about indoctrination than education, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., said Thursday.
"I believe that education is one of the keys to lasting peace in the Middle East and for this reason I am very concerned with these findings," Clinton said at a Palestinian Media Watch news conference to release a report on bias in Palestinian textbooks.
The report, which analyzed eight textbooks published at the end of 2006, said the books encourage students to see Israel and the United States as enemies.
The report said the books encourage students to see themselves as victims of Israel`s existence, and actively prevent young people from seeing Israel as a neighbor to live next to in peace. The history books hardly acknowledge the peace process.
Itamar Marcus, director of the PMW, said the new books teach that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is solely about religion.
"Teaching Palestinian children that the conflict is religious and not territorial will leave no possibility for compromise and could guarantee another generation of conflict," she said.
URL: www.upi.com
"I believe that education is one of the keys to lasting peace in the Middle East and for this reason I am very concerned with these findings," Clinton said at a Palestinian Media Watch news conference to release a report on bias in Palestinian textbooks.
The report, which analyzed eight textbooks published at the end of 2006, said the books encourage students to see Israel and the United States as enemies.
The report said the books encourage students to see themselves as victims of Israel`s existence, and actively prevent young people from seeing Israel as a neighbor to live next to in peace. The history books hardly acknowledge the peace process.
Itamar Marcus, director of the PMW, said the new books teach that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is solely about religion.
"Teaching Palestinian children that the conflict is religious and not territorial will leave no possibility for compromise and could guarantee another generation of conflict," she said.
URL: www.upi.com