Israel References in University of Jordan Geography Book Cause Controversy

(Jordan Times) Suzanna Goussous - Members of the National Campaign for Defending Students' Rights on Tuesday criticized a University of Jordan geography textbook for containing words that "promote normalization" of ties with Israel. "We are not used to seeing a book at Jordanian universities that recognizes the Zionist entity and the state of what is referred to as 'Israel'," said the group's coordinator, Fakher Daas. The text reads: "Aqaba Gulf plays an important role in geopolitics between Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Israel." Book editor and co-author Ziyad Makhamreh said the State of Israel is recognized in the UN and students should separate sentiments from reality, adding that the terms used in the book are "academic." Yusra Husban, the other editor, said, "We must understand that there is an entity sharing the land with us." Nevertheless, in the next edition of the book, to be released in 2016, Israel will be replaced with "the occupied territories" or Palestine, according to Husban.


2015-11-27 00:00:00

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