An end-of-year party in a classroom is not a news item but for some Israeli public schools in the Arab-sector of the eastern capital, the event is infused with a political undertone and hate for Israel in keeping with the PA (Palestinian Authority) curriculum. These schools are funded by Israel�s Ministry of Education, which is headed by Minister (Bayit Yehudi) Naftali Bennett.

At some of the parties held this week students waved Palestinian flags and shouted anti-Israel statements, MyNet reports, quoting a former Arab sector PTA head, Abed el-Karim, who explains this is because the schools are connected to the Israeli Ministry of Education. Abed explains �We don�t want any connection with the Israeli ministry � its plan is a political one�.

He laments how the ministry encourages students to take Israeli matriculation exams, explaining in the books, Har Habayis and al-Aqsa belongs to Israel and he does not want his children receiving such an education, which he calls �the occupation�.

�I am willing to forgo the ministry budgets and education for a Palestinian education. We can get donations. If I live under occupation, then according to international law the Education Ministry must give me� [funding] he concludes.

The Education Ministry reports the Nur School in Ras el-Amud is not state-funded. Jerusalem City Hall says it is a private school that does not receive funding from the city.

The end-of-year party is one small example for in fact, schools in Arab areas of the city have a different curriculum that Jewish public schools and the ministry�s involvement is minimum, permitting these schools to indoctrinate students with the PA rhetoric and inculcate children with a hate of Israel.

(YWN � Israel Desk, Jerusalem)