▪ Full Report (PDF, 136 pages)

▪ Update 2002 (PDF, 56 pages)

Three fundamental statements can be made about all the school books:

1. The legitimacy of the State of Israel as independent Jewish state on the territory of the Land of Israel and the immigration of Jews to the country are never questioned.
2. There is no indoctrination against the Arabs as a nation, nor a negative presentation of Islam. Rather, Islam, the Arab culture and the Arabs' contribution to human civilization are presented in a positive light.
3. No book calls for violence or war. Many books express the yearning for peace between Israel and the Arab countries.

However, there is no unanimity between the authors with regard to the factors, motives of both sides and the development of events in the conflict, or regarding the ways for ending it and the price Israel and the Arabs should pay for peace. This reflects the fact that Israeli society comprises a broad spectrum of conceptions, views and lifestyles.

Islam is described with respect in both the general the religious state-run educational streams. Many books elaborate in detail how Muhammad established Islam and explain its basic fundamentals in a factual, objective manner. Many books highlight positive aspects in Islam. The language is factual and devoid of offensive terms and stereotypes. Sites holy to both Jews and Muslims are not presented as exclusively Jewish and the Arabs' attachment to these sites is taught. The students are even taught about the Muslims affinity to Jerusalem, although, the focus is on the religious, rather than the political dimension. In the ultra-orthodox stream examples of prejudice, patronizing expressions and disrespect to Arabs can be found.

Stereotypes: In textbooks of both the general state-run network and the religious state-run network, one senses a genuine effort to remove stereotypes and to build a foundation for coexistence and mutual respect between the two peoples. There are many stories that describe friendships between Jews and Arabs in Islamic countries and in Israel even in times of war. There are stories of Jews helping Arabs in daily life and in war as well as stories of Arabs rescuing Jews from physical harm and helping Jews to maintain their religion and identity.

In many literary anthologies there are stories about the daily life of Arabs written by Arab authors. Some stories deal with the tensions created by the transition from a traditional society with its values and customs, to a modern western society. However, in some books in the ultra-orthodox network relations between Arabs and Jews are portrayed in negative terms.

History of the Arab Israeli Conflict: All the history books explain that the two main issues which prompted Arab rejection of Zionism were the purchase of land by Jews and the immigration (Aliyah) of Jews to Palestine, later the State of Israel, which was perceived by them as a threat to their position as the majority. This opposition started as local clashes, gradually becoming an organized struggle led by national leaders. In most of the books the conflict is described as a national one.

Many history textbooks describe contacts and meetings between Jewish and Arab leaders from the beginning of the conflict, breaking the stereotype of an Arab world united in their opposition to the Zionism. Failure of these contacts is attributed to the Arabs. Only a few books provide the student with data on the Arab population from the beginning of Jewish immigration to Palestine in the late nineteenth century, until the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. Complete statistics on the Arab population are provided partially and sporadically when clashes or disturbances are described, leaving the pupil with a distorted impression of the Jews having been the majority since the beginning of their settlement.

There is a large variety of maps. Some maps describe accurately the distribution of Arab population in Palestine in different periods. Other maps, mostly in the ultra-orthodox network, illustrate Israel without mentioning the existence of Arabs, country. Some books make a distinction between the State of Israel and the territories of Judea and Samaria because the final status of these territories is not yet decided. Other books ignore this distinction, and show only the border between Israel and Jordan along the Jordan River. The most widely used atlas in the state run and religious state run schools features a map of the territories of the Palestinian Authority, specifying areas A and B according peace accords between Israel and the Palestinians.

All of the books present the Arabs as rejecting the United Nations Resolution of November 1947 partitioning the land between two states ― Jewish and Arab. The Arab-Israeli wars appear in most of the books as justified wars of defense, from Israel's perspective. The Arabs are presented as responsible for the outbreak of all the wars.

In a few books, the hatred of the Arabs towards the Jews is presented as stemming from a fundamental difference, an inherent hatred that is independent of political, military or economic circumstance. However, most of the books explain the hostility of the Arabs as stemming from national and pragmatic reasons: their claim to having exclusive ownership of the whole territory and desire to remain a majority.

Some books in the general state and state religious systems quote speeches on peace by Arab and Israeli leaders at the signing of the peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan. Most of the literary anthologies present poems and stories that express a yearning for peace. However, it is a peace that is perceived as unattainable, a dream, and a utopia. The books express a wide range of opinions as to details of the history and motives of the sides in the conflict. A range of opinions is also presented for resolving the conflict and the compromises Israel and the Arabs should make for peace.