| SWC Associate Dean Rabbi Abraham Cooper attended briefing at Israel's Knesset reviewing the Palestinian Textbooks used in UNWRAschools in Gaza and the West Bank. The funding for the schools are provided by Western countries, led by the US, Canada, Sweden, Norway, Australia and others. Diplomats from Egypt,Canada, UK, and Norway were in attendance.
"Israel is delegitimized, and demonized in these texts and no peaceful solution to Arab-Israel conflict is ever discussed', Groissnoted, adding, "The rights of 4.5 million Palestinians around the world is heavily promoted." The event was chaired by David Bedein, Director of the Near East Policy ResearchCenter. "There is so much to be gained from providing an education to young Palestinians, that paves the way for peace between two people,that is unfortunately not being promoted in Palestinian textbooks currently used in both Gaza and the West Bank," noted Rabbi Cooper. "As far as the narrative presented in many of thesebooks, there were two "occupations", the post-1967 war occupation of the west Bank and Gaza and the 1948 "occupation" of the territory called the State of Israel. This isn't aprescription for peace but for more tragedy, more violence and G-d forbid, more war," Rabbi Cooper concluded. For further information please contact the Center’s Public Relations Department at 310.553.9036, join the Center on Facebook, www.facebook.com/simonwiesenthalcenter, or follow @simonwiesenthal for newsupdates sent direct to your Twitter page or mobile device. |