Israeli School Books

Alternate Focus interviews Nurit Peled-Elhanan, author of the forthcoming book ‘Palestine in Israeli School Books: Ideology and Propaganda in Education’. Nurit Peled-Elhanan argues that the textbooks used in the school system are laced with a pro-Israel ideology, and that they play a part in priming Israeli children for military service. She analyzes the presentation of images, maps, layouts and use of language in History, Geography and Civic Studies textbooks, and reveals how the books might be seen to marginalize Palestinians, legitimize Israeli military action and reinforce Jewish-Israeli territorial identity and Zionist Supremacy.