Figure 1.--These Israeli secondary school girls are receiving weapons training as part of anti-Arab guerrilla training. The girls are being taught not only how to handle weapons, but how to react to unexpected terror attacks. The threat for Isreali children is not so much the possibiity of inadvertent casualties, but that Arabs terror groups have made Jewish children and schools a priority target. The photograph is undated, but looks to have been taken in the 1970s. The Security Fence has significantly reduced this threat. americans are now tragically learning what Israeli parents have had to live through for decades. As a result, American school children may now be more at rusk tghan Israelis.

We do not know a great deal about schools in Isreali and Palestinian education, but we have begun to collect information. There are a variety of complications in looking a Isreali education. There are for example Palestinians and non Jews living in Israel. The religious issue is complicated by language differences. The subject of Palestinian education is also complicated. he Palestinians live in the occupied West Bank and unoccupied Gaza. There are also Palestinians living in various Arab states. We are unsure to what extent the Palestinian children have been integrated into the educational system of those countries. And the wider issue education in Arab states is also of interest. Here we are interested in both the quality of instruction, student achievement and political socialization. The content of text books and libraries is also interesting. This is a very broad topic and one which we do not have much information at this time. We have found some information and thus are creating this page as a place to archive information as we find it. One reason we are interested in this topic is we believe that what a regime teaches its children is an interesting view into the values of a society. Regimes can use propaganda to hide its values and objectives. But it often speaks with considerable clarity when it teaches school children. We invite readers to add here any insights they may have.

Isreal

Israel has one of the finesr school systems in the world with very hih academic standards. There are a variety of complications in looking a Isreali education. There are for example Palestinians and non-Jews living in Israel as well has many larfgely secularized Jews. And Israel has been a haven for Jews around the world, especially refugees from the Middke ast and Russia. Israel has in particular assimilarted Jews from throughout the Middle East and Russia, The schools have been a primary instrument for assuimilarion. The religious issue is complicated by language differences. Some of these problems are challenges faced by schools in other countries. One problem that is unique to Israel is that Isreali schools and school children are actual targets for Arabs attempting to destroy the country. These does not mean unintended casualties of fighting between Arab and Isreali forces, but a high priority target for attacking Arab groups. Not only arethe children a soft target, but killing children elicys a viseral resopnse from Israel and massive press coverage. Thus Isreali schools have been forced to deal with this problem and prepare the children, including very young children.

Palestine

The subject of Palestinian education is also complicated. The Ottomans began to construct a public school system, but most children had no access to education (19th century). A comprehensive system reaching most of the children was only achieved during the British Mandate. The post-Mandate situation is complicated because od te wars ans political changes. The Palestinians live in the occupied West Bank and unoccupied Gaza. We have very limited information at this time on the curriculum or effectiveness in terms of student achievement of Palestinian education. Financing schools has been a major problem fpr the Palestinians. Here they have obtained funding from a range of international donors. There appear to be differences among Palestinians about education. The main-stream Fatah movement has taken a largely secular approach. The growing Hamas Movement has a more Islamicist approach.

Arab States

There are also Palestinians living in various Arab states. We are unsure to what extent the Palestinian children have been integrated into the educational system of those countries. This has varied from country to country. Sone of the Arab states hve sought not to asuimilate the Palestinians so as to keep the issue alive as atategy in an ongoing effort to destroy Israel. And the wider issue education in Arab states is also of interest.

Subjects of Interest

Here we are interested in both the quality of instruction, student achievement and political socialization. The content of text books and libraries is also interesting. This is a very broad topic and one which we do not have much information at this time. We have found some information and thus are creating this page as a place to archive information as we find it. One reason we are interested in this topic is we believe that what a regime teaches its children is an interesting view into the values of a society. Regimes can use propaganda to hide its values and objectives. But it often speaks with considerable clarity when it teaches school children. We invite readers to add here any insights they may have.

Created: 6:29 PM 3/7/2007
Last updated: 10:55 PM 10/8/2018