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AEI-Open Windows News PALESTINE IN EDUCATION A Project to Foster Debate and Advocacy AEI-Open Windows YMCA East-Jerusalem Advocacy desk 1. INTRODUCTION Palestinian communities are living under widely divergent circumstances as a result of a history that brought occupation or a regime of second-class citizenship, or compelled them to live in host countries. This historical legacy has created political and developmental adversities, not the least of them in the educational field. For decennia Palestinian youths, wherever they lived, did not much learn about the basics of their own identity, context, environment and history. There has recently been a significant change in this. The Palestinian curriculum has now been almost completely introduced in Palestine (West Bank, Gaza and East-Jerusalem) and is also applied in UNRWA-administered Palestinian refugee communities in neighboring Arab countries. Much discussion has centered upon the supposedly anti-Israeli, anti-Jewish or anti-peace bias of this curriculum. Unfortunately, much less attention has been paid as to how the new Palestinian curriculum represents the Palestinian history, environment and identity. According to the information that reaches us as grassroots organizations, many Palestinian educators are in fact unhappy about the representation of Palestinian history and identity in the new Palestinian curriculum At the same time, Palestinian communities outside Palestine are often still subject to curricula which do not take Palestinian identity and history into account. This in particular applies to Israel, where learning about Palestinian identity is controversial and often suppressed. While many of these shortcoming do not only apply to Palestinian education – after all, traditional methodologies and contents are still widely applied elsewhere in Arab and other countries – a crippled learning about one’s identity and context in the broadest sense of the term has a detrimental impact especially upon Palestinian youths. In their later life they have to cope with misunderstandings or outright prejudices against their national identity. A balanced and open treatment of identity issues is essential for Palestinian youth to foster self-respect and self-confidence about their own identity, especially when communicating their identity towards others. The present project has been designed to take issue with the shortcomings of the Palestinian and other curricula in representing Palestinian identity and its context, and to take practical steps by organizing a debate in society, presenting conclusions to relevant actors, and starting an advocacy effort based upon the right of Palestinian children to learn about their identity and history in a spirit of truthfulness, honesty and openness. Civil society organizations can take a pivotal role in the organization of this debate and the setting up of an advocacy track. The Arab Educational Institute and YMCA East-Jerusalem Advocacy desk therefore took the initiative for two seminars, one in the West Bank and another in the Galilee, on the question of how to take steps to improve the representation, as well as the methods of studying, of the Palestinian identity/reality in education in Palestine and Israel. Specific objectives of the two seminars were: To estimate the interest and relevance of a proposed future initiative among Palestinian NGOs in Palestine and Israel, and to see which NGOs could take responsible roles. To discuss the educational, legal and cultural issues to be addressed in a larger project, including the regions, areas, communities and countries involved; the specific subject areas (social studies, National Education Curriculum, religion, and Arabic language, for instance) and the grade levels covered. educational approaches towards teaching and learning Palestinian identity, environment and history educational standards and legal requirements that curricula should meet, and forms of possible advocacy To identify existing projects that address similar or comparable questions as the proposed project. To present concrete ideas for a larger project. To come with suggestions how teams in different countries could practically cooperate given the difficulties in traveling and meeting. AEI-Open Windows is an organization with wide experience in grassroots and civil society initiatives in Palestinian education and non-violence especially in the southern and central West Bank, while YMCA East-Jerusalem is an organization with long-standing experience in issues of education and advocacy and operates a civil society network throughout Palestine and Israel. The organizations thus have relevant expertise, educational networks, roots in Palestinian society and an outreach across the country and regions. Both organizations recognize that there are many more Palestinian organizations, with relevant experience and expertise, which would be able to take on responsible organizational roles. At the beginning of the project, AEI and YMCA-East Jerusalem Advocacy stated that they would be open to new organizational formats for a follow-up. The following are the conclusions coming out of a seminar held in Beit Sahour on 25/11/05 and a seminar in Shefaram (Galilee) held on 5/1/2006. From the outset we wish to make it clear that this pilot project is not an academic study but rather a way of bringing out voices of participants and stakeholders in Palestinian education, and of looking for ways how to make these voices effective through local and international advocacy efforts. At stake is the task to have Palestinians, wherever in the world, not to lose their identity, culture and heritage but rather to study them and to bring them out in a proud and open manner. Finally we wish to thank ICCO for their generous support of this project. 2. CURRICULUM WEST BANK, GAZA AND EAST-JERUSALEM     The Beit Sahour seminar Perspective Palestinian Ministry of Education (MOE) The Bethlehem district head of the Ministry of Education of the PNA, Mr. Abdalla Shakarneh, mentioned that the Ministry had been working for more than 10 years on introducing the new Palestinian educational books and system. In doing so, it improved its position from the 46th to the 37th ranking among education ministries in the world. In the continuing crisis situation it faces, the Ministry has also worked on two additional goals: not having the regular education coming to a standstill as a result of curfews or movement restrictions imposed by the Israeli army, and bringing in topics into the curriculum that are related to Palestinian history and the Palestinian question. In encouraging fresh responses to the new curriculum, the Ministry distributed a form called "the Palestinian education system enrichment form" that had be filled in by each teacher at the end of each unit, and sent back to the Ministry. The Ministry received negative as well as positive feedback on the new curriculum, and this feedback is carefully listened to and studied. According to the Ministry, if you go through our books, you will find enough materials on Palestinian history and issues. Criticisms While there is no doubt that the Ministry is open for criticisms and comments, many working in education in Palestine hold considerable reservations with regard to the effectiveness of the educational system in teaching and learning about the Palestinian identity and reality. This clearly came out in the ensuing discussions at the seminar. The students are said not to learn about a cultural-historic concept of Palestine, so crucial for developing a national Palestinian story and a sense of love for the country. Students are for instance said to little learn about the specific Palestinian or Arab identity of cities inside Israel, like Jaffa, Haifa, and Tiberias. During the workshop it was said that no Palestinian child should say that Palestine is limited to the West Bank and Gaza Strip, without mentioning historical Palestine. Does the curriculum succeed in healing the separation between the Palestinian communities, it was asked. There should be attention to the diversity of communities, cultures and heritages within the Palestinian society. In developing an integrated cultural concept of Palestine it is also necessary for students to develop a sense of the pluralistic Palestinian religious identity, and learn more about the religious history of the Holy Land. In this connection it was said that there is little educational material regarding Christian holy sites. Another major criticism voiced during and in evaluation discussions after the seminar was that the curriculum tends to shun politically contested issues. Educators often think that this is so because of political agreements with Israel concerning the curriculum or possibly because of pressure of international funders. Thus, detailed accounts of important moments of crisis in Palestinian history, such as 1948, 1967, the events at Kafr Kassem in the 1950s, or Sabra and Shatila in the 1980s, are said to be avoided. Not dealing with such events in any depth leads to a weakening of the Palestinian national story in the students’ minds. Also with regard to the present ongoing events the curriculum is seen as avoiding political issues. It is said to be poor with regard to educating people about the settlements and the Wall, and the effects of occupation on the environment. Even though the curriculum presently pays more attention to Palestine than in the past, current students are often rather ignorant of Palestinian issues and history. It was mentioned that some Israelis in fact know more about the Palestinian struggle, current situation and issues than we do (while, it was said, Palestinians, conversely, know little about Israeli history and the current conditions in Israel). Students should have a basic knowledge about political-historical issues as well as a grasp of the Palestinian national story. This is essential for self-awareness and involving students in addressing international circles about our ongoing situation and conditions. Besides the issue of politics, a major factor in explaining the rather superficial treatment of Palestinian identity and reality is the heaviness of the curriculum. This factor was much stressed. The syllabus is too long, it was said, and does not allow the teacher to explain the materials well. The teacher is controlled and observed by the headmaster or local observer at school, which limits possible deviations from the syllabus and pushes teachers to cover topics quickly and generally rather than allowing him or her to provide the students with deep knowledge, and to encourage them to actively apply it. Knowledge is acquired in a rather one-dimensional (“informative”) way, without the use of active- or creative-learning methodologies which provide the student with different, varied ways of understanding the subject. Moreover, one-dimensional methods of teaching prevent that students develop a critical and analytic understanding of cause-effect relations in e.g. history. Due to the heavy curriculum, the homework is severe for parents and children alike, even at an early stage (from 2nd and 3rd grades on). It was said that there is little time for the simplest right of children; namely to play – also outside, in good weather and in a beautiful environment. Playing would help a great deal to encourage children to enjoy and love the Palestinian environment. The same is true for fieldtrips, which are apparently often neglected not only because of the traveling restrictions but also because the heavy curriculum does not leave room for journeys into nature or the community. Learning in/through/for the community – a modern educational concept which has particular relevance for Palestine given the need to struggle for the development of the community - is thus not given much priority. The ways how students now learn about their culture, environment and reality is felt by many not to promote pleasure and love for learning, nor a deep appreciation, knowledge and love for Palestine. Deep and critical knowledge is further hampered by the curriculum organization. It was said that the subjects of for instance languages and science are not well organized and that not all teachers have sufficient aptitude and talent to reorganize the subjects by themselves. Moreover, cross-disciplinary connections between subjects or units relating to Palestine were said to be lacking. This hampers a more holistic and integrated understanding of Palestinian identity and reality. Like other subjects, education about Palestine is hindered by the insufficiency of teacher training. Many teachers have no basic educational knowledge about how to teach the new materials and syllabuses, and there are no means to train them. Many different factors – a concern to avoid political controversial opinions, fear of being criticized by inspection, the lack of room for individual teachers to take initiatives, the heaviness and length of the syllabi, the problem of curriculum organization, the lack of teacher training - encourage teachers to “play it safe” and fall back on traditional methods of dictated education (rote learning), also with regard to the Palestinian identity and environment. Palestine becomes, like other curricular areas, a tough subject with many items that need to be memorized. This is particularly unfortunate because learning about the Palestinian identity, community and environment would by itself make it possible to apply many interesting methods and techniques that could support Palestinian education as a whole, ranging from fieldtrips to community work, cross-curricular projects, and the use of educational websites on Palestine. A related criticism is that the teaching of values and norms in relation to Palestine stays at a general level, and that there is a gap between theory and practice. The following case was presented to illustrate this. The case of civics As part of a research about ”identity in the postmodern world", Dr Jeanne Kattan analyzed the Palestinian civic education curriculum from the 1st to the 9th grade. The goal of civic education in Palestine is to deepen the concept of civic responsibilities from the period of childhood on. It is supposed to advocate an active interest in Palestinian issues and history. The aim of civics in Palestinian education is to encourage the children to take initiatives and participate at home, in the community, and at school. At home, family members should help each other in the different household tasks and conduct an internal dialogue. At school, the students are like brothers and sisters who take care of their school and solve their problems together, rejecting violence. The community level is comparable to the family; people should help to preserve public properties, and youth should learn to work with different organizations to solve the community's and society's problems in mutual dialogue. Rights and responsibilities also exist at the three levels of home, school, and in the community. At home, we have the right to receive care and we have the duty to do household tasks, at school we have the right to education. At the community level, there are the workers’ rights; the rights for the disabled, the rights to form and choose one's own political party, and so on. Progressively, the students are encouraged to think through the larger social circles in which they live. Fourth grade students study concepts of peace, diversity, and the basics of religions. Sixth grade students study the broader world in which they live, and the danger globalization poses to our traditions, culture and religion. Surprisingly, the Palestinian civics syllabus is not much different from the Israeli one. Political issues are not much attended to. The Wall is mentioned at the end of the 9th grade syllabus, as if it is considered less important. The civics curriculum is a base to build upon. A main problem is that it is ideal. It is normative rather than reality-based. That is, it shows how students should apply norms in public and private life. In doing so, the curriculum follows international standards. In the ensuing discussion at the seminar it was not denied that norm- and value-setting is important when, according to many educators, value awareness is decreasing in many aspects of Palestinian life. However, the curriculum does not relate the norms and values to the ongoing contradictions of Palestinian life under occupation. How values can be applied in such an extremely adversary environment is not dealt with. There is thus a risk that the values and standards stay at a general level, also in the students’ minds, and that the students have to decide for themselves to what extent and when those values are feasible and relevant to their own circumstances. Indeed, teachers said there is often no link between theory and practice, and that teachers are not aware of their responsibilities and in fact do not practice themselves most of what they teach. However, one reaction said that the gap between theory and practice exists in all education systems in the world. Students are living in their society and are not isolated from it, so they see contradictions and disagreements even within the governmental authorities themselves. The syllabus should state the ideal and the theory, and it is the teacher' role to explain the difficulties and obstacles in practicing this theory. Abdalla Shakarneh of the Ministry said, in response, that the current educational system is temporary with regard to the PNA’s relations with Israel. Our present situation prevents us from having a different syllabus for now. The current period therefore creates a gap between the theory in books and the practice in society. He appealed to civil society to help the Ministry and the schools to overcome the difficulties they face. Recommendations West Bank/Gaza 1)     All the relevant stakeholders and practitioners in the education process should be consulted in order to improve the teaching and learning about Palestine. 2)     It will be important to transfer knowledge and skills in advocacy methods towards practitioners and stakeholders in Palestinian education so that advocacy initiatives can be started from within the educational field itself. 3)     It is recommended that a network be established with members of school communities (including especially teachers and parents) and NGOs to develop further ideas and suggestions, for a preparation of a public debate, as well as for formulating strategies for encouraging changes within the educational system. Cooperation between educators (teachers, administrators, parents) and NGOs which represent important stakeholders in education is a worthwhile effort. It complements resources, networks, experiences and expertise. There are lots of existing organizations that work in the field of educational development and advocacy that can form such a network and help to give depth to the project and come out with measurable goals and a detailed operational plan. The network can be organized by a team, in which AEI-Open Windows, YMCA-EJ/Advocacy desk and Ittijah would play an initiating role. 4)     The Palestinian Ministry of Education is regularly target of a campaign of criticism that focuses upon the presumably anti-Israel nature of the curriculum. We should support the Ministry in their efforts to counter this criticism. One of our contributions could be the bringing out of grassroots voices of Palestinian educators (besides the textual analyses of curriculum books). At the same time, this support does not mean that criticism about the representation of Palestinian identity/reality should be withheld. However, important is the tone and style of such criticism. Palestinian Ministry officials are reportedly bombarded by strong criticisms of the new curriculum. It is the task of an advocacy effort like ours to bring together these criticisms in a constructive manner. 5)     In giving an objective base to the advocacy, it is helpful to recruit teachers and educators and organize their comments and experiences. This can be considered a kind of teachers' training and research, making use of specialists, adequate experience, and material resources. A particularly attractive method of study is action research which takes into account (a) experiences and evaluations by educators; (b) the development of new relevant educational materials on Palestinian identity/reality based on an appreciation of these experiences and evaluations; (c) a testing out of materials in class and other educational settings, and (d) appraisals of those tests and the application of the materials in new contexts. 6)     At the same time it will be essential to pool any relevant academic researches about Palestinian education and teaching/learning about Palestine that are available, in Arabic and other languages. It is also essential to have a pool of resources on relevant international law and advocacy experiences in the field of education. 7)     To develop knowledge and perspective, it is relevant and helpful to compare the Palestinian experience of learning about one’s own identity and reality, with other contexts of oppression and (cultural) discrimination, such as apartheid South Africa. 8)     The seminar and its follow-up led to the following suggestions for concrete organizational initiatives: Bimonthly meetings with teachers and other stakeholders in education in the West Bank in which the development of new educational materials stands central, and in which also advocacy initiatives are discussed. Annual conferences or seminars on the subject, approached from different angles. Especially during such conferences Palestinian educators from Palestine and Israel may come together. The formation of an advocacy network in which Palestinian NGOs and educational practitioners participate, and which will develop a vision, methods and program on the subject. Such a program would include new initiatives for public awareness, networking, and for raising local and international advocacy demands. The development of publications which bring out grassroots educators’ voices, alternative or complementary materials, as well as seminar/conference proceedings on the subject. 3. PALESTINIANS IN ISRAEL AND THE ISRAELI CURRICULUM The curriculum and Palestinian identity The Palestinian identity in the Israeli curriculum was presented in the Galilee workshop by Sa'eed Barghouthi, a former inspector in the Israeli Ministry of Education and programme coordinator of the Follow-up Committee for Arab Education. Education for Palestinians in Israel in the period after the year 1948 was crippling for teachers. Until the seventies, the books were simply translated from Hebrew and thus adopted the Zionist narrative about identity. That curriculum did not mention the Arab identity, the Palestinian case, or the Arab and Muslim histories in Palestine. The word "Palestine" did not exist in it. The dominant educational approach in that curriculum affirmed "the historical right to the land of Israel" and other Zionist principles such as "We [Israel] are the victims", "We love peace", "Our weapons are pure", and "We will defend ourselves". The Arab teachers were made passive and subject to decision making from above. During the 1970s there was an introduction of some new topics in Civics and History that related to Arab identity and nationality. New terms were introduced such as "workers from the West Bank and Gaza Strip". The presenter stressed the fact that there have been battles over the use of terminology and that there were compromises and mid-solutions made and found, such as the inclusion of an historical background in the introduction of the curriculum. In response to his introduction, it was said that despite the changes in the curriculum in History and Civics the overall policy has not changed. The idea that there is no need to deal with the Palestinian cause, the national rights, and the right of return, for example, has even been strengthened. The main problem lies in the policy of a country that raises people on Zionist principles and on the non-existence of a Palestinian nationality. This policy is reflected in the way how Arab education, in general, is controlled, including its curriculum, contents and the control over teacher assignments through security channels (Palestinian teachers have to be approved by the security service). Adding the terms “Arab” and “Arab identity” in history books was not done in order to strengthen Palestinian identity but to replace it by an Arab one. The representation of the national Palestinian identity is the major conflict the Palestinian community in Israel has with the ministry. Concerning the Arabic language, there is a problem the students face in not enjoying their own literature. There is a need to protect/support the Arabic language, specially the classical Arabic. The literature offered does not include national poets and writers and the chosen texts are not amongst the best and do not reflect the real poet/writer. The teaching style does not include critical analysis or thought. The schools in Israel are marks-oriented and so students are restricted and committed to the curriculum. Students would have to write down what they have been taught in order to get a high mark, at the expense of identity, and of education in thinking and criticism. The final examination is a test how much a student knows of what he is examined in. A large number of students note down what they learned even if it is against Arab identity and nationalism. The problem also lies in the quantity of materials in the books, not only the quality. Teachers are chained and feel so even when given the chance to speak out. In fact, by and large they choose not to speak out because of fear or ignorance. Within the Ministry, there is no Arab influence in the Programme Selection Committee and one cannot detect the contribution of the Arab teams. The teachers, educators and inspectors assist in maintaining the situation through their acceptance of it; for example, by celebrating Israel’s Independence Day. Opportunities have emerged mainly from outside - not through internal initiatives from within the education system. Experiences in advocacy: Arab Association for Human Rights The experience of the Arab Association for Human Rights in Nazareth was presented by Bilal Ibrahim, director of the Education and Popular Work Unit in this institute. The association works on preparing educators, muntadayat (or centres for discussion) programmes, publications, and preparing alternative trips to explore the geography of Palestine. The programme does not connect with the formal curriculum but presents an alternative through working, officially, with schools and students. The work of this institute is particularly relevant to our subject as it is both rights- and identity-oriented. The teaching of identity is encouraged as a basic right according to treaties the country has signed. Still teachers and students are afraid using the word “Palestinian”. Identity is taught by discussing the different violations committed by Israel against its minorities, including issues related to land, residency, people in the Diaspora, etc., as well as the celebration of commemorative days assigned by the government on a racist base. The aim of the programme is for the Arab student to adopt an agenda as a son or daughter of a national minority. Ignoring his or her identity would negatively affect ways of dealing with the aforementioned violations. The program connects globalisation and the ensuing loss of culture with the situation of the individual who has a responsibility towards his people. A curriculum in Education for Rights and Identity has been completed, and will be implemented with the beginning of the new school year - including subjects related to Palestinian rights as a minority. In addition, the programme merges the educational level with the practical popular level. In supporting community service, it contributes to an Education and Civil Work project. Experiences in advocacy: Follow-up Committee for Arab Education The experience of the Follow-up Committee for Arab Education was presented by 'Atif Ma'dee, director of the institute.  The Committee works in the long run towards the formation of an Arab Education Ministry with full jurisdiction, budgets and resources. There is a serious conflict with the ministry about how Palestinian the identity as presented in education should be, but not how Arab it is. The advocacy work is along two lines: through leaders from among the authorities, schools, parents’ councils, and through advocacy and follow-up. One of the tools used is the connection with Knesset members. The committee gathers information and statistics. It wants to insert some topics into the formal curriculum or at schools through existing or suggested subjects. It works on a book to be accepted as part of the “Begrout” (or matriculation). The committee has not been invited by the authorities for any discussions so far. This clearly shows the attitude taken by the ministry Experiences in advocacy: Parent Councils One experience in advocacy from outside the Ministerial system is the Regional Union of the Students' Parents' Council, as presented by Mo'een 'Armoush, the Head of the Union. The programme of the union focuses on raising awareness amongst the parents concerning rights they have to demand as a native nation, through seminars and presentations; supporting the different existing parent councils and helping the establishment of new councils. The union works with different authorities and education councils. There is sometimes an intervention in case of a crisis with a teacher because of the interference in the appointment of teachers by ministers or the security police. The union lobbies towards local authorities for whom the curriculum issue is not on their list of priorities (spending of budgets on buildings instead of concepts). There are also some negotiations conducted with ministries and offices concerning, for instance, “text mistakes” and changes in prices of materials. Sometimes the union goes to the court. The union has a programme directed to developing a link with the West Bank by: 1. Bringing students from the West Bank. 2. Assistance for the establishment of parents’ councils in the West Bank. A first union was established and work will start in other areas. Recommendations Galilee seminar 1)     There is no link between the formal curricula and the alternative ones. Based on the present experiences, it seems not possible to change the curricula and the policies of the formal educational system. Also, the alternative curricula presented to the ministry by institutes such as the Follow-up Committee for Education and Terminology Issues are not actively taken up. 2)     Marginal influencing of the curriculum is possible, especially by making use of some hours within the formal curriculum that allow for presenting other concepts and materials. Also, use should be made of the law that permits school intervention in 25% of the curriculum. 3)     However, given the serious problems of trying to influence the curriculum from within the system, it is of major importance to build capacity and continue advocacy by activating the society bottom-up, including the parents, and by strengthening informal programmes and activities such as those of the Arab Association for Human Rights and the Follow-up Committee’s booklet with alternative contents/materials. 4)     In order to build alternative programs, good use has to be made of previous ones, including the project called “Culture and Identity” (1995), the “Continuation” programme, the activities of the Committee for the Affairs of the Arabs of Yaffa, including the educational book “Yaffa, the Bride of the Sea”, and the experience of the ‘Arah and ‘Ar’arah Institute in teaching mothers about their identity. There are other similar, parallel and new experiences like that of the Arab Culture Institute that prepared alternative curricula with a focus on the Arabic language as a main element in strengthening the national identity. 5)     There is need to make available literary works that reflect the true identity of Palestinian poets and writers, and to work on other elements of the identity that are not covered by the existing programmes such as music and visual arts. It is imperative to present a broad view of culture, and not to allow that it becomes ideologically restricted to folklore or traditional customs so that Arab culture becomes implicitly presented as a kind of tourist attraction. In other words, we should not approve of the teaching of heritage as an alternative to culture; it is part of it, but not a substitute. It was suggested to further develop the relationship with Palestine as a whole, in line with the purpose of the seminar, and in doing so to learn about Palestine as a cultural whole. It is important to tackle the issue of cultural alienation of the Palestinians from the Arab world in the Israeli curriculum. It was said that in these efforts we need to distinguish the Druze question and identity from that of the Palestinian identity and history. 6)     When talking about rights of Palestinians in Israel, it was said that this should include rights-in-context like the right to the land, defending the land, and residing on it, and not only general rights. 7)     Palestinian youth should become aware of the right to learn about Palestinian identity in its natural habitat, and develop a feeling for and connection with nature. Learning about nature, through relevant institutes, should go hand in hand with learning about Palestine as a society. 8)     On the methodological level, we should take into consideration the obstacles as a result of the quantity of the present materials to be studied by the students for the Begrout. There is a need to develop the analytical/critical approach instead of stuffing the student with information. Further, in learning about Palestinian identity we should make good use of new technologies like computers and websites. 9)     Towards the Palestinian National Authority it was suggested to include more information about the area of ’48 and other topics in the curriculum in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. 10) It was suggested to have more similar meeting days like the present one but to focus on more specific topics, such as plans for changes in the formal curricula, or presenting experiences from different areas and countries like that South Africa. 4. CONCLUSIONS Project vision In bringing both seminars together, we can now formulate a vision for a future campaign. There is need for a Palestinian initiative that aims to strengthen and enhance Palestinian education and Palestinian identity on the basis of the needs of the national community without involvement of political or external parties. Such an initiative would work to influence educational systems and communities in Palestine as well as among Palestinians in Israel in order to create better conditions for Palestinian youth to learn about their national identity. The initiative would be objective in its methods and approaches. Out of both the seminars we can distill an educational vision about the Palestinian identity: The Palestinian identity is pluralistic within an overall unity even though Palestinian communities are living in different realities. There should be a sense of whole and parts. The different communities (Palestinians in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza; the Palestinians in Israel, and the diaspora communities) should be treated in their mutual connections as part of a cultural, social and political whole. The connection with the broader Arab identity is also essential. The diversity of the Palestinian people should show itself in an understanding and respect for the culture of different Palestinian communities, including different religious, regional and ‘ethnic’ communities. The Palestinian identity is part of, and can be only understood by knowing, the overall Palestinian national story (history), its background and context, development, crisis, and future. The Palestinian identity should be associated with positive values of rights and duties, appreciation, pluralism, respect, openness, environmental care, and love. The Palestinian identity and its values should be understood in its contexts and realities, and not put or kept at an abstract level. The Palestinian identity should be approached and learnt about in all different subject areas,  including history, literature, religion, Arts, civics, and language. Education about the Palestinian identity should be conducted through methods which support joyful, critical, and creative learning, both inside the school and outside, through environment- and community based, cross-curricular approaches. Special attention should be paid to the language or discourse used in presenting the Palestinian identity. The language should not take over labels or terminologies from others. Nor should it be defensive, based on terminological compromises, or polemical arguments for that matter, but rather open up an independent perspective that, first, encourages youth to be proud and develop a loving feeling towards the richness and beauty of the homeland and an understanding of its rights, and secondly, that develops openness towards other peoples and cultures. Apart from being proud of one’s identity, youth should also be encouraged and equipped to communicate their identity towards others, including uninformed or prejudiced audiences. This single vision should be embodied in one campaign, but with two strategies facing two different realities (Palestinians in WB/G/EJ, Palestinians in Israel). In the West Bank, Gaza and East-Jerusalem, it would be the strategy of the project to support and enrich the Ministry of Education and improve its mechanisms to work together with civil society and stakeholders in education with regard to the presentation and learning about Palestinian identity in the curriculum. While advocacy activities in the field of education are not much developed in WB/G/EJ, the Ministry of Education is clearly welcoming and inviting initiatives from the civil society to improve the (teaching of) the curriculum. After the introduction of the new curriculum, there is now an evaluation running, and it is therefore right now a good moment and opportunity to conduct advocacy in a constructive spirit of cooperation and complementarity. Among the Palestinians in Israel, the situation is somewhat opposite. Here the work of educational NGOs and unions has clearly much developed over the years, but at the same time they face a Ministry which in fundamental respects is not open to change, especially not in giving more space in the curriculum to the Palestinian (rather than Arab) identity. After evaluating both seminars, and having several discussion meetings between AEI-Open Windows and YMCA/EJ Advocacy desk, the advocacy campaign is suggested to have the following strategic elements: Strategic elements of a campaign Strategic elements Advocacy plan West Bank, Gaza, E-Jerus Palestinians in Israel Networking Bringing together NGOs and educators into a new platform Widening existing initiatives   Awareness raising in the community Local public hearings or workshops about the new Palestinian curriculum Local public hearings or workshops about the Palestinian identity in the Israeli curriculum Local lobbying (towards Ministry and other authorities) Network conducting constructive dialogue with Ministry Approaching local media, NGOs, members of parliament, political groups, religious leaders Public lobbying Approaching local media, NGOs, members of parliament, political groups, religious leaders International lobbying (international law, educational bodies) Supporting the Ministry in its efforts to respond to uninformed blaming of the Palestinian curriculum Local and international media Calling for support from international educational actors Using international law, right to education, and right to cultural identity Local and international media Educational materials, resources, (best) practices Educators’ platform which develops and tests new materials and resources on Palestinian identity Publications with new materials Website Teacher training Discussion in platform of existing educational materials Publications with new materials Website Teacher training Studies, research, and documentation Conferences Bringing together existing educational materials International comparisons with regard to national identity in education (South Africa) Initiating academic studies Bringing together existing educational materials International comparisons Initiating academic studies Fundraising Identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats Defining needs Identifying funders Idem   5. APPENDIX Lists of attendants/organizations in the two seminars Advocacy education workshop Beit Sahour November 25, 2005 Attendance: 1.      Fuad Giacaman - Arab Educational Institute: aei@p-ol.com 2.      Nidal Kanaaneh - Badil: media@badil.org 3.      Adnan Ateyah - YMCA: aateyah@ej-ymca.org 4.      Shawqi Issa - Ensan Center for human Rights: ensan@ensancenter.org 5.      Abdallah Kamel - Arab Education Institute: abdallakamel88@hotmail.com 6.      Ismail Badawi Mukbil - Beit-Jala B.B. School: Mukbil@hotmail.com 7.      Sana' Abu Ghush - Battir B. Girls' School: s_palestine@hotmail.com 8.      Mai Nassar - Bethlehem University: mnassar@bethlehem.edu 9.      Khalid Al-Tawarish - Directorate of Education: jawsh99@yahoo.com 10. Jeanne Kattan - Bethlehem University: jkattan@bethlehem.edu 11. Abdalla Shakarna - Directorate of Education Bethlehem: a.sh@yahoo.com 12. Nadine Ali - Communication officer PYALARA: pyalara@pyalara.org 13. Buthaina Qumsieh - Personnel officer, YMCA: buthaina@shepherdsfieldymca.org 14. Nidal Abu-Zuluf - Assistant Director, YMCA: nabuzuluf@shepherdsfieldymca.org 15. Hazem Qumsieh - General Union of Palestinian Teachers: hazemqumsieh@yahoo.com 16. Simon Awad - Environmental Education Center: sijaq@yahoo.com, eec@p-ol.com 17. Ibrahim Hannouneh - YMCA: ihannouneh@ej-ymca.org 18. Ra'ed Awwad - Teqoa' Secondary School: louis_10@hotmail.com 19. Luckyboy Pitswane - YMCA: luckyboy@ej-ymca.org 20. Toine Van Teeffelen - Arab Educational Institute - tvant@p-ol.com 21. Qumsieh – Radio Bethlehem 2000   List of participants Workshop entitled Education in Palestine: a project to develop discussion and advocacy Thursday 5/1/2006 Galilee Association No. Name Association Tele/cell phone Fax.   Samer Abu Ramhin (Al Qal'a) The Castle 3007744/054 9880143/04   Trees Zbeidat/ Kosterman Al Zahra' 5508512/052 6747606/04   Najat Ma'amra The female Pilgrim(Al Haja) Ruqaya Beyadsah Fund 7767635/054 6552116/04   Eskandar 'Amal Carmelite School – Municipality of Haifa 5482198/054 8332034/04   Jasmine Matar Social Development Society 8723438/050 8514648/04   Sa'eed Barghouthi   5919974/054 6572958/04