Israeli-Palestinian schoolbook Project

The “Portrayal of the Other” in Palestinian and Israeli school books -
 
This project was initiated by the Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land in Jerusalem, in August 2009.
With the goal to study the “Portrayal of the Other” in Palestinian and Israeli school books, the project was funded by a grant from U.S  Department of State and implemented under the supervision of Prof. Bruce Wexler of Yale University and his NGO – A Different Future.  
A joint Palestinian-Israeli research team – headed by Professors Daniel Bar-Tal (Tel Aviv University) and Sami Adwan (Bethlehem University) – was formed, employing 10 research assistants (6 Israeli and 4 Palestinian, all fluent in Arabic and Hebrew) to analyze texts of 370 Israeli and 102 Palestinian books from grades 1 to 12.  
A Scientific Advisory Panel was also assembled, consisting of European, American, Palestinian and Israeli experts in school book analysis, history and education, who will oversee all aspects of the work.   This was the first study to constitute a joint Israeli/Palestinian research team and use identical, standardized scientific methods in a simultaneous and comprehensive study of both Israeli and Palestinian books with oversight by an expert Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP).  

The study developed in such a way that it thematically went beyond what the Council had asked for. Accordingly, it was found best to be published in the name of the scholars who did it. The research was published and presented to the public on 4th February 2013.

The research materials can be found at:
IsraeliPalestinianSchoolbooks.blogspot.com