(Times of Israel) Marcus Sheff - On Dec. 10, 2017, Yasin Abu al-Qar'a left his home outside Nablus, traveled to Jerusalem, and plunged a knife which he had specially bought into the chest of a middle-aged bus station guard, Asher Elmaliach. Al-Qar'a told his interrogators that he had identified Elmaliach as a Jew and that his attempt to kill him was "based on what he'd been taught in Palestinian Authority (PA) textbooks." The PA curriculum is a rallying call to extremism and martyrdom. The textbooks promote hate and groom school children to sacrifice their lives. Negotiations with Israel are rejected, with children taught that a Palestinian state will be achieved only through violence and religious war. Martyrdom is preached as a life goal. Dying, they are taught, is better than living. War is an ongoing and praiseworthy necessity. The PA Ministry of Education is funded by the EU and EU member states, through programs of the American and Canadian governments, and by international organizations that are generously financed by the U.S. and Europeans. At a moment when around the Middle East, from Morocco to Jordan, governments are purging extremism from textbooks, the PA has made a strategic decision to do the opposite - to radicalize young Palestinians. The writer is CEO at IMPACT-SE, which monitors compliance with international standards on peace and tolerance in education.
2018-01-05 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive