Rethinking Schools welcomes letters to the editors. All letters received by Rethinking Schools become property of the journal. We reserve the right to print letters in condensed form. Send letters to Letters to the Editors, Rethinking Schools, 1001 E. Keefe Ave., Milwaukee, Wis. 53212 or feedback@rethinkingschools.org.

Responses to 'Israel, Palestine, and Teaching'

ISRAELIS ALSO SUFFER

While the editorial board of Rethinking Schools "watched in horror" as Israeli tanks and bulldozers blasted into Palestinian neighborhoods in the West Bank, it appears that they have been looking elsewhere while Palestinian terrorist activity killed 610 people in Israel in the last 22 months. This unbalanced perspective, glossed over with a cursory comment about "Israeli people suffering over indiscriminate attacks," is reflected in [the editorial] as well as the one-sided selection of resources on the subject of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The topic is a clear departure from your core focus on educational issues, and the only editorial that addresses a political conflict in another country, based on a review of past issues. Equally problematic is the implicit analysis of the situation. This conflict cannot be understood within the American context of racism or the vestiges of European colonialism. Nor can it be understood solely within the context of a progressive agenda. It can only be understood within the historical context of the complexities of the Middle East. These were all but ignored in the editorial, as were accurate facts, historical timelines, or resources that would contribute to a knowledge-based understanding of this issue. It is a disservice to the educational process to present unbalanced or biased information that inhibits the ability to use critical thinking or analysis skills.

An entire generation of talented young people is told by their leaders to strap bombs to themselves and kill as many Israelis as possible. It's a terrible crime against young Palestinians, against Israelis, against all humanity. This is something that Rethinking Schools might have chosen to address. One may disagree about politics or political figures, but there is one fundamental principle that all people from all parts of the world will agree: Civilized people do not intentionally target children for death. Eastern Europeans, South Africans, Somalians, North Koreans... other peoples from other nations have faced difficult living conditions, but none of them have resorted to this type of deliberate terror and brutality against children. Rethinking Schools missed a "teachable moment" by omitting this message.

Finally, the editorial focuses almost exclusively on Israel's responsibility for the current situation. It takes two to make peace. Israel offered the Palestinians their own state as recently as 20 months ago, but Arafat refused. Israel has been a flexible partner during the peace process, offering constructive solutions and negotiating in good faith, always with the goal of peace. Six successive Israeli Prime Ministers, representing the spectrum of Israeli politics have been involved in negotiations. Some might use this as an example that the violence in the Middle East might never end. But it can, with courageous leadership like Egypt's Anwar Sadat and Jordan's King Hussein, and Israelis like Yitzhak Rabin and Menachem Begin. All of these leaders took risks and concessions for security and peace. Again, facts omitted and history ignored gives an incomplete picture of the current or potential reality.

We urge educators to take advantage of the wide range of resources, including fact sheets and briefing papers, internet sites, articles, curriculum material, speakers and instructional media, available through the Milwaukee Jewish Council for Community Relations.

Marty Katz and Paula Simon
Milwaukee Jewish Council for Community Relations
info@mjccr.org.

CONDEMN ALL VIOLENCE

I would hope that classroom teachers would take a more balanced approach to the topic than you did in your editorial. For the sake of brevity, I will not refute your interpretations of the facts of the conflict, though I found many inflammatory details that were devoid of any useful context. Also let me state from the start that I do not support Israeli settlements or occupation.

In your editorial, you state that "as educators, we ought to care not just for children here but all over the world." I agree. Regarding the murders of children and adults in Israel, however, you are virtually silent, stating only that "nothing in this editorial should be read to minimize this suffering." I'm sorry, but that one little sentence does not excuse the insensitivity that pervades the editorial. I was especially shocked that you wrote, "we can nurture empathy for the lives of Palestinians" without suggesting any attempt to understand the suffering of Israelis who have been killed, maimed, or who are living in constant fear.

As educators who care about children all over the world, we should condemn those who send children to the front lines of violent clashes. We should condemn the type of education found in Palestinian schools - perpetuating anti- Jewish myths such as blood libel, teaching stereotypes as truths, fostering violent hatred and extolling suicidal martyrdom. Does your silence on these points imply tacit acceptance?

There is little use in arguing whose suffering led to whose suffering, and what violent actions are justified as a result. If peace is to come, it depends on empathy, and a vision of what is to be gained by both sides if they take the necessary risks for peace. I only ask that my fellow teachers, and Rethinking Schools, recognize that both sides are suffering, both sides need sympathy and support, and both sides should be viewed critically in their shortcomings.

David B. Cohen, Palo Alto, Calif.

ISRAEL WANTS PEACE

Your editorial suggests that Israel's true aim in rooting out an organized system of terror, which has deliberately murdered hundreds of Israeli civilians, is to destroy the Palestinian "cultural infrastructure." This cynical assessment disregards Israel's continued efforts towards peace and blatantly ignores Israel's right, and its duty, to protect its citizens from harm.

Furthermore, while the editorial is concerned with the state of the Palestinian education system, it makes no mention of the appalling anti-Semitism and incitement to violence found in textbooks distributed to Palestinian school children by the Palestinian Ministry of Education.

The Palestinian-Israeli conflict is complex, and indeed both Palestinians and Israelis have legitimate grievances. But if students and teachers are to tackle this crisis with a critical mind, they must learn about the experiences and arguments of both sides. Above all, teachers and students should be encouraged to draw their own conclusions.

Hannah Rosenthal
Jewish Council for Public Affairs
New York, N.Y.

SHARON'S TERRORIST LEGACY

U.S. policy in Israel isn't based on moral principles. Our tax dollars pay for the destruction of Palestinian communities like the Jenin refugee camp.

The D-9 bulldozers, the Apache helicopters, the Hellfire missiles, the M-16s were all payed for by American taxpayers. This is happening while our schools endure slashed budgets and cut programs. Our communities and kids pay the price: cuts in special education, cuts in subsidized lunches for kids, cuts in sports programs, discontinued art education, increased classroom size, etc.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon presided over the the Sabra and Shatila massacres during the 1982 invasion of Lebanon, in what is perhaps the biggest act of terror in the history of the modern Middle East. The Israeli army supplied the M-16s, ammo, and lit the camps at night with star shells so that the murderers could do their ceaseless killing - all paid for by U.S. taxpayers.

The recent reoccupation of the West Bank with its destruction not only of the Jenin refugee camp but also the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Culture will also be added to Ariel Sharon's terrorist legacy. And meanwhile, our schools do without.

What can we do about it? Rethinking Schools has provided a sensible guide for teachers to use in both educating ourselves and educating our communities about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They are right to stress that it is our responsibility as educators to do so.

We need to design curriculum that gives a balanced, accurate presentation of the conflict. We need curriculum that teaches how both ordinary Palestinians and Israelis are struggling to bring a just and meaningful resolution to their conflict. Thanks, Rethinking Schools, for helping in this endeavor.

Bill Gibson, Madison, Wis.

MEDIA ONE-SIDED

I was delighted to read the thoughtful editorial, "Israel, Palestine, and Teaching." You did a great service for teachers who need careful reflection on the terrible events in that region. As educators, we must educate ourselves about the situation there. American news media are dreadfully one-sided in their pro-Israeli bias. We cannot teach a balanced unit on these events unless we first critically examine the unbalanced information filling the pages and airwaves of American media. The failure of our media to provide us with a balanced view of the war immerses us daily in pro-Israeli, anti-Palestinian views. This is why your publication has been an heroic and thoughtful exception. As an educator, I am proud to be an RS reader and supporter because I learn so much about the Israeli invasion which I cannot find easily anywhere else. You make me a better teacher and a better American citizen. Thank you.

Ira Shor, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Rethinking Schools Editors Respond

We appreciate the time and effort Rethinking Schools readers devoted to responding to our Summer 2002 editorial on Palestine and Israel. A number of writers suggested that Rethinking Schools unfairly singled out Israel for criticism and did not also condemn the Palestinians for human-rights abuses and suicide bombings. As we indicated in the editorial, we focused our criticism on Israel because we believe that the ongoing occupation of Palestinian territories and the denial of Palestinian statehood is at the root of the current crisis. And because Israel is the world's largest recipient of U.S. aid - at $10 million a day - we share responsibility for how Israel uses our money.

We are horrified by any loss of life, especially lives lost in indiscriminate attacks on buses or restaurants where children and other innocents are likely to be victims. But condemning violence does not relieve us of the necessity of understanding its sources. Our revulsion at the suicide bombings makes us more insistent that we address the causes of this conflict.

We, too, favor "balance" in reflecting on the roots of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. But the multiple meanings of this word also lead us to be cautious. We encourage concerned educators to develop critical and balanced materials that explore:

• The colonial background of Palestine and the Arab countries.
  
  
• The history of the Zionist movement, including the history of anti- Semitism and the Holocaust.
• The UN partition of Palestine, the formation of the state of Israel, and the subsequent flight of Palestinians from their homes.
  
  
• The nature of Israeli occupation in Gaza and the West Bank and the various forms of Palestinian resistance.
  
  
• The diverse voices for peace and justice in both Israeli and Palestinian societies.
  
  
• The role of Israel within the broader Middle East region.
  
  
• How military and economic support for Israel fits into U.S. geopolitical strategy.

We need to create curriculum that makes the history and current reality of the Mideast comprehensible, while promoting justice and compassion for all the peoples in the area. We believe that such an examination should consider multiple viewpoints and encourage students to critically evaluate them. But this examination shouldn't rest on an assumption that both sides are equally responsible for a given conflict. This kind of oversimplification deprives students of their right to make moral and political judgments based on evidence.

Finally, some readers' responses echoed a story that has appeared frequently in the U.S. media: that at Camp David, Israel offered Palestinians their own state and the Palestinian leadership turned it down. We refer readers to a valuable article, "The Myth of the Generous Offer: Distorting the Camp David Negotiations," in the July/Aug. 2002 issue of Extra!, the journal of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. (http://fair.org/extra/0207/generous.html) The article points out that the Israeli offer of "statehood" would have divided the West Bank into three "disconnected cantons," crisscrossed by Israeli bypass roads, and with Israel maintaining control of the region's water supply. Numerous other provisions would have eroded any semblance of Palestinian sovereignty.

We invite readers to contribute ideas to this ongoing discussion by writing: feedback@rethinkingschools.org.

'Confronting White Privilege'

UNDERSTANDING STUDENTS

I must say I am truly impressed. I am an African-American teacher at Wauwatosa East High School. I have learned so much about race relations in my experience here. I work hard to try to bring the African-American experience to my students and most are very open to try to understand. However, many believe that the plight of the less fortunate in this country is simply their own fault. Your article has helped me to understand my students, their beliefs and experiences a little better. Now, perhaps, I can address the issue at a level closer to the level they are on. I just wanted to say thank you. Your article is wonderful.

Sarika Simpson, Wauwatosa, Wis.

HONOR NATIVE STUDENTS

Thank you for your insightful article on anti-racist work. I live in Billings, Montana. I work as a part-time grant writer for the largest school district in Montana (15,900 students). White students represent 89 percent of all students, the balance of our students are Native American (6 percent); Hispanic (4 percent); and Asian. My biggest frustration is we do not recognize or honor our Native-American culture of our area. We have over 15 different tribes but the only reason my children know anything about any of these tribes is from work I do at home with them. My son has several "Hispanic" friends who hate that term because they are Mexican. Yet, we do not recognize the differences that exist within the "Hispanic" label nor do we celebrate or honor the role minorities played and continue to play in our local, state, national and international development.

Susan Plath, Billings, Mont.

INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE

BRAVO!! I just finished reading your article and was quite overwhelmed almost to the point of tears. My wife and I are currently teaching in international schools in Caracas, Venezuela, but I have had 11 years of teaching experience in mostly white upper-middle class public schools in Houston, Texas.

I grew up in a small narrow-minded community in south Texas where I faced discrimination because I was poor and half Mexican. Actually I faced racism from both sides - from Mexicans because I was a half-breed and from white people because I was Mexican. I think one of the most important parts of your article was the fact that you really infer a lot of self-critique into your discussion to the extent that you reconstitute a new paradigm of fairness (at least new for many folks who come from a perspective of white privilege or other advantages). I think that is something that we must all do if we really want to fight racism and other biases that exist in our society. It is very easy to criticize other people with extremist feelings but entirely a different thing to confront ourselves and really understand how we take certain privileges for granted, even to the extent that we don't notice that we are doing it. I think only then do we really begin to understand how we can help those who do not share the privilege and reach others who do not share our desire to combat these biases.

Thank you for writing your article to teach the rest of us and keep fighting the good fight. You truly are a modern day hero!

Mark Webber, Caracas, Venezuela

Fall 2002