The Arab-Israeli Conflict in Israeli History Textbooks, 1948-2000

Israeli history textbooks in the past contained many biases, distortions, and omissions concerning the depiction of Arabs and the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Today these misrepresentations are gradually being corrected. This study encourages the depiction of a balanced portrait in all textbooks. By reviewing curricula and textbooks used in the Israeli educational system since the establishment of Israel, the author assesses the impact of Zionist historiography and the Zeitgeist on the portrayal of Arabs in textbooks. The study unravels the biases, distortions, omissions, and stereotypes through the analysis of several major historical events such as the 1948 war, the refugee question, the 1967 war, and the peace process.