'Palestinian textbooks not anti-Israel'

There are objective studies showing that Palestinian textbooks in many ways are better than Israeli textbooks when it comes to "the other," and way ahead of Jordanian and Egyptian textbooks, Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, PA Legislative Council member for the Jerusalem District told The Jerusalem Post in an exclusive interview this week.

The full interview will appear Friday in The Jerusalem Post Upfront.

Ashrawi: "There are some who say that the Palestinians incite and are anti-Israeli, anti-Semitic, which isn't true. There's not a single anti-Semitic word in the textbooks. But anyway, there are fads of accusations. These take on a life of their own when they keep being repeated.

"At one point, about two years ago, there was a wave of all these articles that show that Christians in Palestine were badly treated. I haven't read any recent ones at all, but I think this was a way of maligning the Palestinians and the Palestinian Authority even though I know for a fact that it is the opposite.

Jerusalem Post: How do you explain the disturbing children's shows that encourage violence and martyrdom that Palestinian television airs?

Ashrawi: "The violence is not manufactured by the Palestinians. The occupation is violent. Palestinian children don't have to learn about violence from textbooks or TV. All they have to do is watch the news. All they have to do is live in an area that is bombed or shelled or where their parents are arrested or beaten up.

"Studies show that more than 80% of Palestinian children are in constant trauma. Most Palestinian children have had relatives killed and have themselves been subjected to violence. So, the reality they live in is inherently abnormal, and therefore, to say that they are being bombarded with [messages of incitement and violence], no, it seems to me that it is the occupation at fault.

"Furthermore, they are robbed of their traditional source of security and comfort, their families, since their parents themselves are vulnerable and cannot protect their children. There are all sorts of problems that these poor children have to contend with. I've always called for less violence on all television because reality is violent enough."

Jerusalem Post: How, then, do you explain the fact so many young people are being recruited for suicide missions?

Ashrawi: "It is unacceptable. I have a very clear position on suicide bombing, although when it comes to children, I don't think it's a systematic thing [recruiting them]."

Jerusalem Post: What do you mean?

Ashrawi: "There were several instances where children were recruited. But do you remember a couple of years ago, when a couple of children were caught trying to commit such an act and people were furious with Hamas, and Hamas came out with a statement that they wouldn't recruit the children, and so on?"

Jerusalem Post: Even when they're not little children, most of the suicide bombers are very young, 20 or so.

Ashrawi: "Most young people don't think so much with their minds as with their emotions. I don't want to generalize, but they're very vulnerable and emotional and have more hormonal influences than any other age group."

Jerusalem Post: What do you think the role of religion is in recruitment the belief that they'll be rewarded with paradise?

Ashrawi: "Not only is this a lack of understanding of the Koran and the religion, but of the reasons why people do these things. What you have is ideology and counter-ideology. The motives for suicide bombing could be revenge or
desperation as well. So, you look at all the motives and you deal with all the
motives. But the moment you distort what's happening by saying they're going
after virgins in heaven is ridiculous."

Jerusalem Post: Are you saying that the recruiters aren't promising potential suicide bombers paradise with virgins?

Ashrawi: "Well, I haven't been recruited, but I think it's an oversimplification to talk about people being promised sexual gratification in the afterlife."

Jerusalem Post: So you don't think that's really what's happening?

Ashrawi: "No. This is just a way of avoiding the issues. You have to look at the causes.

This woman who committed the bombing of the Haifa restaurant [Maxim]. Now, ironically, many survivors of the attack were students of mine. They called me and I really felt very bad for all of them not just for the Palestinians, but also for the Israelis. She [the female suicide bomber] did it for revenge and desperation. She wasn't an ideologue. She wasn't going to get so many virgins in heaven."

Jerusalem Post: Let's talk about Muhammed al-Dura. On PA TV, there is a film clip in which a child actor playing al-Dura is seen playing in an amusement park in heaven, and calling upon other children to join him.

Ashrawi: "You must watch more Palestinian TV than I do. Anyway, this is taken out of context. People try to make it look as if this is everything they're showing on Palestinian television. I'm sure anybody monitoring Israeli TV would find horrible things as well."