Abstract
Hebrew as a second language is not only taught to Israeli Palestinians, but also to adult immigrants and their young children. However, in the case of immigrants the purpose is to replace their immigrant language with Hebrew, while among Israeli Palestinians it is acknowledged as additive. Hebrew is a compulsory language for Israeli Palestinian pupils. It is the dominant language in all domains of life in Israel, making it extremely difficult for Israeli Palestinians to function without sufficient competence in Hebrew outside their home towns and villages. However, the school curricula has not always considered the special needs of this population, and the contents and topics of Hebrew teaching instead emphasised culture and literature. This paper examines three major aspects related to Hebrew language teaching in Israeli Palestinian elementary schools: attitudes towards teaching Hebrew to Palestinians; Hebrew teaching goals and curricula; and the textbooks and their contents. Hebrew teaching in elementary schools is examined against the tensions produced by the challenges of the Palestinian minority in an ideologically Jewish state and of speakers of Arabic under a Hebrew hegemony.
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