'Victims of Our Own Narratives?' is a study that highlights biases in Israeli and Palestinian school books. Historical events are used to demonise the other. In Israeli ultra-Orthodox schools, Palestinians are accused of wanting to destroy israel. In Palestine, books describe Jews as invaders.

Jerusalem (AsiaNews) - School books fuel the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, this according to Victims of Our Own Narratives? Portrayal of the "Other", a study funded by the United States Department of State. The report slams biased histories and geographies that demonise the other or deny them the right to exist.

The study, released on Monday, began in 2009, sponsored by the Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land-a consortium of the senior leaders of Islam, Judaism and Christianity.

For three years, the report's authors examined 640 school books (492 Israeli and 148 Palestinian books), plus 3,000 texts in Arabic and Hebrew used in public, private, secular and religious schools.

The study found that only 4 per cent of maps in Palestinian textbooks show the green line or label the area west of it as 'Israel', whereas only 13 per cent of Israeli books show the boundaries of the Palestinian Territories.

The same problem applies to history textbooks in which historical events are used to cast aspersion on the other people. The problem is even greater in religious schools.

Jewish ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) schools praise the Jewish community and accuse Palestinians of wanting to destroy Israel. In Palestinian books, Jews are represented as invaders.

According to the study, school books published in Israel tend to be more objective. The Palestinian Authority began using its own school books in 2000.

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