• "Incitement or peace education?"
  The Jerusalem Post - June 23, 2012 (PDF Version, 1.06 mb)
  A new report published by the office of Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad claims that “Israeli textbooks foster hate” and that “Israeli schools teach [from] racist textbooks.” While studying the issue of incitement with the aim of decreasing it on both sides is a worthwhile undertaking, a closer look at such discourse is also due...

• "Books, Incitement and Incitement Reports"
  The Commentator - June 11, 2012 (PDF Version, 1.10 mb)
  Although the Israeli Ministry of Education should continue to re-evaluate and improve the books it approves, claiming incitement where there is none, is really a form of incitement in itself.
  Version francaise publiee par Metula News Agency (PDF, 72 kb)

• PA Informal Education Promotes Hitler as a Role Model for Kids (Hebrew)
  By IMPACT-SE - January 8, 2012 (PDF Version, 980 kb)

• Five of IMPACT-SE's researchers participated and gave presentations at the International Conference on "School Textbooks in the Greater Middle East: National Identity and Images of Self and Other," which took place at the Truman Institute in Jerusalem on June 28-29 2011. Below are the abstracts:
  • Dr. Yohanan Manor, "Egypt’s Overriding Muslim Identity and Its Consequences" (pdf, 130 kb)
  • Dr. Arnon Groiss, "Self-Identity and the Attitude to the 'Other' in Tunisian Schoolbooks" (pdf, 132 kb)
  • Dr. Yael Teff–Seker, "Jewish Identity and Attitudes Towards the Other in Israeli Schoolbooks Grades 7-12" (pdf, 134 kb)
  • Dr. Eldad Pardo, "Identity and Images of Self and Other in the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Elementary School Textbooks" (pdf, 132 kb)
  • Mr. Felix Konovich, "Turkish National Identity and 'Otherness' in Turkish Schoolbooks - An Analysis of Humanities and Social Studies Textbooks published in 2005-2010" (pdf, 133 kb)

• "Hamas' Web School for Suicide Bombers"
  Middle East Quarterly, Spring 2010
  IMPACT-SE wrote a paper on the Hamas Web Magazine for Children (Al-Fateh), detailing its educational approach and indoctrination of children during the eight years it has existed, and elaborating upon its significance as an indicator of the Hamas movement’s ideology. Read the full article on Middle East Quarterly's website. (Printer friendly version, pdf, 145 kb)

• Op-ed: "Talk is Not Cheap" (pdf, 93 kb)
  Jerusalem Post - May 3, 2010
  IMPACT-SE and Board Member Nir Boms published an op-ed in response to the recent release by Hamas of an animated video clip showing Noam Schalit bemoaning the fate of his captive son Gilad (published in Hebrew by Ha'aretz, pdf 30 kb).

• Op-ed: "On Tombs and Rage" (pdf, 114 kb)
  March 2010
  In the midst of a wave of violent protests in Jerusalem and the West Bank, IMPACT-SE and Board Member Nir Boms wrote about the damaging effects of introducing politics, through schoolbooks, into religion and history (published in Hebrew--pdf, 28 kb--on March 10 by Ha'aretz).

• Article: "Who's afraid of the 'occupying wolf'?"
  Ynet, July 14, 2009
  Hamas website for kids tells of 15-year old martyr, slams peace with Israel, promotes armed warfare. (Hebrew version)

• "Education for Tolerance: A Ray of Hope in a Troubled Region" (pdf, 16 kb)
  November 8, 2008 - La Libre Belgique, Belgium
  IMPACT-SE Board Member and journalist Nir Boms, Dr. Khaled Aljenfawi, a Kuwaiti professor of English literature from the University of Kuwait, and IMPACT-SE wrote an op-ed on the importance of education for peace and tolerance for development and peace in the Middle East, while contrasting the prevailing radical and tolerant streams in Middle Eastern curricula. The collaboration on the op-ed and the below editorial constitutes a groundbreaking endeavor by Israelis and a Kuwaiti who, even in tumultuous times in the Middle East, view education for peace and tolerance toward the “other” as vital for the future of the entire region.
  English (pdf, 16 kb) – French (pdf, 202 kb)

• "The ‘Other’ in Arabic Education and Culture" (pdf, 295 kb)
  November 8, 2008 - Arab Times, Kuwait
  Dr. Aljenfawi, who has written in the past on the concepts of tolerance and the “other” in Arab culture, education and society, wrote an editorial in his column in the Arab Times on the concept of the “other” in Arab education and culture. The editorial was edited by IMPACT-SE and contains excerpts and phrases from a number of IMPACT-SE reports.

• AJC - IMPACT-SE Report: "Scant Progress in Revising Palestinian Textbooks" (pdf, 28 kb)
  March 20, 2008
  Seven years after the Palestinian Authority began publishing textbooks for use in West Bank and Gaza schools, there still is no recognition of the State of Israel and no advocacy of peace with it. Instead, the textbooks promote violent struggle, while hateful descriptions of Jews and the West remain prevalent.

• Analysis: "Palestinian Textbooks: From Arafat to Abbas and Hamas" (pdf, 693 kb)
  March 2008
  This timeline gives the outside observer an excellent opportunity to examine whether political changes within the PA have had an impact on the PA curriculum so far as the attitudes to the “other” and to peace were concerned. Comparing the forty-two books issued for grades 11 and 12 with their predecessors, one can determine that some changes did occur, as analyzed below, although the fundamentals remained intact.

• "Jihadist indoctrination in the schools" (pdf 14 kb)
  December 17, 2007 - Washington Times
  IMPACT-SE Board Member and Nir Boms wrote about a new U.S. intelligence assessment suggesting that Iran may have halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003 and that its weapons program remains on hold. This revelation has created much consternation in Congress on both sides of the aisle. Indeed, despite the latest estimate, other intelligence reports and Iran's own statements point to Tehran possibly acquiring a bomb before the end of this decade. Hence the discussion regarding the possible nuclear intentions of the Iranian government remains a crucial one.

• "Arabs and Palestinians in Israeli School Textbooks. Changing the Perception of the 'Other'" (pdf, 218 kb)
  November 12, 2007 - Israel on Israel
  The present analysis is based on the findings of two surveys carried out by CMIP on 500 Israeli school textbooks that were in use in the school years 1999-2000 and 2001-2002. On one hand, the results confirm other researchers' observation of a radical turning point that occurred in the middle of the 80s, and, on the other, they surpass them in highlighting an active preparation for coexistence with the Arabs and the Palestinians.

• "State Sponsored Child Abuse in Iran: Iran's violations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child" (pdf, 155 kb)
  November 7, 2007
  Shayan Arya and Nir Boms show that Iran is committing serious violations of the Convention on the Rights of the Child while cynically remaining a signatory. It has an intricate system of legislation that enables the government to veto its own constitution that secures children’s rights. It is endangering children by encouraging them to seek death and is instilling in them hatred toward different cultures and religions via its education curriculum.

• "Orwellian 'New-Speak', Iranian Style"
  June 26, 2007
  This article was composed for The Henry Jackson Society, by Nir Boms, Vice President of the Center for Freedom in the Middle East. It deals with the alarming findings of recent research on Iranian school textbooks.

• "Iran's Global War Curriculum" (pdf, 323 kb)
  Spring 2007 - Geopolitical Affairs (Vol.1, No.1)
  This article attempts to present an outline of the Iranian worldview and agenda, based on CMIP's study of 95 school textbooks of all grades published in 2004 and 20 teacher’s guides published mostly since 2000.
  English  (pdf, 323 kb) - French (pdf, 2.49 mb) - German (pdf, 2.48 mb)