History Textbook Project: The Middle East

Les Robinson has forwarded to me an article by Richard Rothstein entitled "Facts and Politics: How History is Taught" (New York Times, 11/7/01). It targets the same problem as our history textbook project, but it introduces a complication oh which we have only touched: the way textbooks change in accordance with political changes. For example, when a Mideast peace seemed more feasible, Israeli texts described the many Palestinians who were forced from their homes in the 1948 war. Now that peace prospects have receded, textbooks focus on the Palestinians who left voluntarily. I am copying this message to Richard Rothstein, with the request that he tell us more about his interest in this problem.

Incidentally, it is hard to know what is going on in the Middle East. The world generally is highly critical of the foreign policy of President Bush, including his call for the removal of Arafat and the US administration's refusal to talk to him. As the same time, the British government of Tony Blair is holding well-publicized meetings with Arafat. It seems like a backdoor way of keeping conversations going between the US and Arafat, but who knows?

Ronald Hilton - 7/3/02