Human Rights in History and Civics Textbooks: The Case of Israel

Abstract

Human rights education, as reflected in the presentation of “the others” and relations with them in forty-four history textbooks, twenty-three civics texts, and five “peace education” manuals, published in Israel from the 1950s on, are analyzed and evaluated. Attitudes toward Gentiles, Arabs, Oriental Israelis, and newcomers have improved immensely during the past half century, but nevertheless the “hidden” textbooks portray the cultural loftiness and prejudice of Israelis who are still a nation of people trapped by their own siege mentality.