Peace and conflict in Israeli state-approved textbooks: 2000-2018

ABSTRACT

The current article describes the peace and conflict educational approaches found in the Jewish-Israeli curricula between the years 2000–2017. Using thematic analysis, it extracts the dominant themes and messages towards Muslim, Arab and Palestinian ‘others’. The study follows 123 textbooks recommended by the Israeli Ministry of Education for grades 7 through 12 of the Jewish state and state-religious sectors for the 2000–2019 academic years. The academic subjects or disciplines represented in the study include history, geography, civics, (Jewish) religious studies and Hebrew language and literature studies. Study findings indicate that current Israeli textbooks to not contain any overt racism or incitement against Palestinians. However, ethnocentric perceptions and victim mentality are two themes that still dominate curricular discourse and are counterproductive to peace education goals. Additionally, the paucity of Palestinian narratives is another potential hurdle to achieving peace education goals.

KEYWORDS:

• Curriculum
• peace Education
• prejudice
• middle East

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. It should be added that the Ultra-Orthodox education has unique characteristics: it is not supervised by the state, it has many streams, female and male students receive a completely different education, and it is often anti-national.

2. Civil Studies for Matriculation Exams: A Jewish and Democratic State Facing Reality, 2006, p. 355.

3. Hebrew—Comprehension, Language and Grammar, 2007, p. 159.

4. The Wisdom of the Forefathers Builds Generations, 2014, p. 133.

5. The Way of Words, Book 2, 2007, p. 155.

6. Geography of the Middle East: Changes on the Verge of the 21^st Century, 2008, p. 307. Parentheses appear in the original version.

7. Ibid, p. 293.

8. Destruction, Exile and Salvation: Chapters in Bible Studies with a Guide for Matriculation Preparation, 2005. p. 21.

9. Time Travel: Building a State in the Middle East, 2009, p. 206).

10. Geography of the Middle East: Changes on the Verge of the 21^st Century, 2008, p. 353–354.

11. Revolution and Change between Two World Wars 1920–1939, 2005, p. 73.

12. Palma”h is an abbreviation for ‘Plugot Mahatz’ or ‘strike brigades’—an elite fighting force of the Haganah, the underground army of the Jewish community in Israel during the the British Mandate in the 1940s.

13. Language Stepping Stones: Understanding, Expression and Grammar in its Textual Context, Part A, 2010, p. 98.

14. This is the Land—an Introduction to Israeli Studies, 1999, p. 21–22.

15. Being Citizens in Israel, In a Jewish and Democratic State, 2016; p. 464.

16. A Journey to the Past: Selected Subjects in History. The 19^th Century * The 20^th Century, 2007, p. 184.

17. Man and Environment in the Global Age: Geography and Environmental Development, 2013, p. 158.

18. Here I use the word ‘settlement’ for Yishuv, as it refers to township and community establishment in what was considered Southern Syria provinces (Palestine) during the Ottoman period.

19. Nationality—The Beginning, 2008, Part A, p. 165.

20. Journey to the Past: The 20^th Century—Because of Freedom, 1999, p. 294.

21. Published 1917, the Balfour Declaration was a document sent to Lord Rothschild, in which it is written that Britain supports the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine.

22. Nationality in Israel and the People: From the Beginning to 1920. 2014, p. 194.

23. History of Today, the 21^st century—on the verge of Tomorrow, 1999, P. 85.

24. The Main Mountain: Judea, Samaria, the Plain and the Jordan Valley, 2002, p. 346.

25. 1870–1970 The Era of Dread and Hope: History Chapters for High School, 2001, p.163.

26. History of Today—The 20^th Century: On the Verge of Tomorrow, History for 9^th grade, 1999, p. 143.

27. A Journey to the Past: Selected Subjects in History—The 19^th century * The 20^th Century, 2007, p. 174.

28. 1870–1970 The Era of Dread and Hope: History Chapters for High School, 2001, p. 40.

29. Geography of the Middle East: Changes on the Verge of the 21^st Century, 2008, p. 183.

30. Travel through Time—Cities and Communities, 2008, p. 68.

31. This is the Land—an Introduction to Israeli Studies, 1999, p. 161.

32. Travel to the Past: From the Middle Ages and until the Early Modern Period—History for Junior High School. 1997, p. 14.

33. Religion, Society and State in Israel, 2006, p. 160.

34. Israel—Man and Space, 2007, p. 30.

35. Being Citizens in Israel, In a Jewish and Democratic State, 2016; p. 483.

36. Ibid.

37. Areidi is a Druze poet, although this is not mentioned in the textbook.

38. Simply Literature: A Guided Tour to Classic Literature, 2002, p. 46.

39. The 20^th Century: On the Brink of Tomorrow, 1999, pp. 160–161.

40. A Journey to Israeli Democracy, 1994, p. 89.

41. Geography of the Middle East: Changes on the Verge of the 21^st Century, 2008, p. 89.

42. To the Negev—Chapters in Geography of the South of Israel, 2000, p. 140.

43. The Negev: Man and the Environment through the Ages, 2004, p. 235.

44. Step 1: Hebrew—Understanding, Expression and Grammar, vol. 2, 2006, p. 100.

45. A Good Word 1: Comprehension, Expression and Grammar, 2008, p. 119.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Tolerance Education in School Education [-].

Notes on contributors

Yael Teff-Seker

Yael Teff-Seker received her Ph.D. in Conflict Studies from the Hebrew University, Jerusalem (2014). In the last decade (2009-2019), she headed a large-scale study on the attitudes of Israeli State Textbooks on the Arab and Palestinian “other”. Her work also includes research into environmental education, environmental peacebuilding, and environmental conflict and cooperation.