If You Are For Truth, You Seek The Truth First

By Khalil Mahshi

December 21, 2000

A group calling themselves " JEWS FOR TRUTH NOW" published a full page advertisement in the Jerusalem Post on December 1, 2000 under the title "There is no alternative to destroying Israel". The same advertisement was also published in other prominent papers in Israel (e.g., Haaretz 24 November 2000) and in other countries, especially the USA. They allege that this is a banner on the title page of a book "Our Country Palestine" Volume I, "introduced" into the Palestinian National Authority/Ministry of Education curriculum for the 6th grade, school year 2000-2001.

I was really surprised when I read the advertisement in Haaretz, since, to my knowledge, the Palestinian Ministry of Education has not published a textbook entitled "Our Country Palestine". Yet, this title sounded familiar. I decided to pursue the matter and seek the truth.

I called the Palestinian Curriculum Development Center and informed them of the advertisement. They said that there was no textbook with this title. When they looked further into the matter, they informed me that, most probably, the advertisement has to do with a chapter in the Arabic language textbook for grade 6. The textbook is entitled "Our Beautiful Language". Chapter eight of the textbook is entitled "Mustafa Murad Dabbagh". Dabbagh was born in Jaffa, Palestine, in 1898. He composed several books/encyclopedias in various subjects: history, geography, population science, botany, zoology and education. His best-known work is his eight-volume encyclopedia entitled "Our Country Palestine". He published Volume 1 in 1947.

The chapter about Dabbagh, and the whole Arabic language textbook for grade six, does not include the banner cited in the above-mentioned advertisement. So, I decided to find a copy of Volume 1 of Dabbagh's encyclopedia and find the banner. I could not find a copy in our Ministry or at the Palestinian Curriculum Development Center. Since our sixth grade Arabic textbook asks pupils to look for the encyclopedia in their school library and use it to write a page about their village or town, I asked a school in Ramallah about the encyclopedia. At the Ramallah Secondary Girls School I found a 1947 edition of Volume 1, with an introduction by Dabbagh. The title page, the introduction written by Dabbagh in 1947 and the text (as much as I could see in the 230 pages of the book) did not have such a banner. Well, Israel did not exist then as country and therefore, you may say, that looking for such a banner is meaningless. I decided to look for a newer edition. Anyway, you may be interested to know that the title page of the encyclopedia and the introduction had nothing against the Jews or the British either, although the country was in political conflict and turmoil already in 1947.

I went to Ramallah Municipal Public Library. I found a 1988 edition of the book. I looked in Volume 1, and other volumes. Still, I could not find the banner or any similar sentences.

"JEWS FOR TRUTH NOW" have published a short website which refers you to the "source" on which they base their advertisement. If you click on it, you to go part of the report entitled "The New Palestinian Authority School Textbooks (Academic Year 2000-2001)" on the website of the Center for Monitoring the Impact of Peace (CMIP), which has offices in Israel and the USA. Indeed, the banner is mentioned in that part of CMIP's report. Maybe CMIP has looked at another edition of Volume 1 of Dabbagh's encyclopedia (other than the two I have seen: 1947 and 1988). But they have not mentioned which edition. Furthermore, CMIP's report says that Dabbagh's book was "introduced" this year into the Palestinian curriculum. The advertisement by "JEWS FOR TRUTH NOW" also used the word "introduced". Maybe my English does not help me, but when I read the advertisement, I got the impression that it is a book which was distributed this year to pupils as a textbook or as a basic reference to be used frequently, at least. This is obviously not the case. I believe that the word "introduced" in this context is very misleading, but I stand to be corrected by those who know English more than I do. Furthermore, the real purpose and intention of writing about Dabbagh, in the 6th grade textbook, as a man who served his country through science and education was disregarded by CMIP and "JEWS FOR TRUTH NOW". I am presently translating the chapter about Dabbagh to English, so that my readers can judge for themselves. I will send it soon.

"JEWS FOR TRUTH NOW" relied on CMIP's report. They took it for granted. They have not questioned it. They have placed costly advertisements in papers without putting in the effort and the time to look into the matter and to seek the truth. This is what I did: I sought the truth before writing these notes I am sending out to you.

Khalil Mahshi
Director General
International and Public Relations
Ministry of Education
Ramallah, West Bank
Palestine