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Intelligence
and Terrorism Information Center at the Center for Special Studies
(C.S.S) |
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Special
Information Bulletin |
November
2003 |
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Geography and Politics:
Maps of “Palestine” as a means to instill fundamentally
negative
messages regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict |
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The maps of “Palestine” distributed by the Palestinian Authority
and other PA elements are an important and tangible method of instilling
fundamentally negative messages relating to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
These include ignoring the existence of the State of Israel, and denying
the bond between the Jewish people and the Holyland; the obligation to
fulfill the Palestinian “right of return”; the continuation of the “armed
struggle” for the “liberation” of all of “Palestine”, and perpetuating
hatred of the State of Israel. Hence, significant changes in the maps of
“Palestine” would be an important indicator of a real willingness by the
Palestinians to recognize the right of Israel to exist as a Jewish state
and to arrive at a negotiated settlement based on the existence of two
states, Israel and Palestine, as envisaged by President George W. Bush
in the Road Map. |
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The map features “Palestine”
as distinctly Arab-Islamic, an integral part of the Arab world,
and
situated next to Syria, Egypt and Lebanon. Israel is not mentioned.
(Source: “Natioal Education” 2 nd grade textbook, page 16, 2001-2002). |
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Abstract |
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The aim of this document is to sum up the findings regarding
maps of “Palestine” (and the Middle East) circulated in the Palestinian
areas by the PA and its institutions, and by other organizations (including
research institutions, charities, political figures, and terrorist organizations
such as Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad). In this context, maps
of “Palestine” were studied, including those captured by the IDF during
Operation Defensive Shield and in other operations. In addition, maps and
geographical/historical data from official PA academic textbooks of 2001-2002
and 2002-2003 were also carefully examined. |
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Maps of “Palestine” are very common amongst
PA residents. They are sold openly, hung in PA institutions and in the
offices of private individuals and organizations, are included in school
books and appear (in miniature) on advertisements, postcards, posters,
badges, works of art and souvenirs. Thus, this is a highly significant
motif in the daily life of the PA residents. |
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This motif is used to instill a number of basic problematic ideological
and political messages (for Israel) relating to the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict. These basic messages are absorbed by the younger generation
of Palestinians , educated in these institutions from kindergarten
to university, and by the general Palestinian
population . Whereas the PA and entities associated with it have
made attempts to hide or obscure these messages (mainly because
of considerations regarding foreign bodies ), the messages of
Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other terrorist organizations on the other hand,
are loud and clear |
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The central themes, also introduced into official
PA textbooks are: |
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All of British-mandate
“historical Palestine”, from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean
Sea, belongs to the Palestinians, and Israel has no right to exist
as a political entity. In fact, the vast majority of
the maps do not feature the State of Israel as an entity
alongside Palestine . In PA textbooks, there is no reference
to Israel as an independent, sovereign, political entity on the
territory dubbed “Palestine,” where as the names of the surrounding
Arab states are mentioned. On some of the maps,
the “green line” is marked, but the cities within the “green line”
area are Arab-Palestinian only, systematically omitting
the predominantly Jewish-Israeli cities established by the Zionist
Movement and the State of Israel, such as Tel-Aviv. In regional maps
of the Middle East, Palestine' s neighboring states
include Syria, Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon are mantioned, with
no mention of Israel . In textbooks and in the media,
Israel is sometimes referred to as “the 1948 territories,” i.e.
the Palestinian areas that were “occupied” by Israel in 1948 during
the War of Independence. |
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Denial of the bond between the land of Israel and the Jewish
people: in Palestinian maps and textbooks, the Jewish holy
places do not appear on the list of holy places in
“Palestine”; the Jewish people do not appear in examples of ancient
cultures existing in the Middle East; in the index of one of the maps
of “Palestine” only the Muslim and Christian holy
places are listed and there is no reference to Jewish holy
places; in a map of traditional Palestinian costumes in the various
areas of “Palestine” there is an explanation (with no basis in fact)
that the Canaanites were the forefathers of the Palestinians,
thus there has been a continuous Palestinian presence in
“Palestine” throughout the ages (this claim also appears in the textbooks
used in the institutions of the PA). |
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Cultivating the Palestinian
national heritage by emphasizing the Arab-Muslim nature of all
of “Palestine”: a map of “Palestine” appearing in PA
textbooks highlights that “Palestine” is Arab-Muslim ,
part of the Arab and Muslim nation extending from the Atlantic
Ocean to the Persian Gulf; another map issued by the Palestinian
Center for Education and Research in Gaza mentions that
Palestine is an integral part of the Muslim
world (“Dar al-Islam”), of the Arab nation and
of Greater Syria (“Bilad al-Sham”). A map published by
the Palestinian Heritage Center in Bethlehem,
illustrates traditional Palestinian costumes throughout “Palestine,”
including Jaffa and Safed, based on a 1945 map of Palestine . |
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Al-Quds (Jerusalem) is the capital
of “Palestine”, ignoring Israel's link to the city and Israeli sovereignty,
even in the western part of Jerusalem . Some of the maps
include all of Jerusalem in the West Bank and a
few maps feature Jerusalem as the capital of “Palestine.” In
a 7 th -grade textbook Jerusalem is described as “Palestine's religious,
cultural and economic capital, looked up to by the world because
of the holy places to Islam and Christianity, the site of the Al-Aqsa
Mosque... the Dome of the Rock and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.”
The Jewish holy places, including the Temple Mount and the Western
Wall, are not mentioned at all in this text book . |
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Maintaining and assimilating the concept
of the “right of return” of Palestinian refugees to the places from
which they were expelled in the “1948 territories.” In this regard,
many maps portray the geographic and demographic situation as
it was during the British Mandate before the War of Independence
and the creation of the State of Israel , such as the “map
of destroyed villages”; “map of villages destroyed by the Zionist
gangs”; a map of Palestine featuring villages abandoned during the
Arab-Israeli conflict from the beginning of the twentieth century
through 1967; and the “map of villages destroyed 1948-1950.” The
Hamas map of “Palestine,” highlights data regarding refugee
camps in the PA and in Arab states, and the numbers of
Palestinian refugees scattered throughout the various countries as
a means for keeping the “refugee problem” alive in the minds of the
Palestinian public. |
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Engendering hatred of Israel by bolstering
the Palestinian “victim mentality” and inculcating the theme of the
“armed struggle”: |
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Stirring up hatred toward Israel is
expressed in the large number of maps of destroyed houses, uprooted
trees, demolished villages and alleged acts of massacre by the Israelis
in order to perpetuate this memory in Palestinian
minds. |
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The message of pursuing the “armed struggle” until
“Palestine” is liberated is expressed by using a map of “Palestine”
("from the [Jordan] river to the [Mediterranean] sea") as
a motif in the “logo” of terrorist groups, alongside rifles and grenades.
These maps convey the message of liberating all of “Palestine” by
armed struggle and sometimes even refer to the religious
background (by use of religious symbols and passages from the Koran
which appear alongside the maps). |
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It is of note that there are also exceptional cases
of maps in which Israel is mentioned, the “green line” is marked as separating
Israel and the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and Jewish-Israeli cities such
as Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan, Natanya, Holon and Bat Yam are included. These
are mainly maps printed in English and intended for Western audiences,
or maps prepared with the aid of Western elements. Where
these institutions are concerned, the PA's interest is to remove or conceal the
problematic messages conveyed by the vast majority of the maps circulated
among the Palestinian public and to show a semblance of a so-called recognition
of Israel as a political entity in the Middle East. |
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| In other words, the messages conveyed by the maps of “Palestine”
circulated in the PA indicate that the Palestinians do not recognize
Israel's right to exist as a sovereign and independent Jewish state alongside
a Palestinian state , whether it be within the 1967 borders
or any other recognized borders. These maps fuel the Palestinians'
aspirations to establish one Islamic-Palestinian state instead
of Israel, from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, with Al-Quds
as its capital 1. In order
to conceal these harsh messages, which contradict the concept
of two states existing side by side , the PA and the various
Palestinian organizations use duplicity by also disseminating
maps containing positive messages, most of them in English, which are
predominantly intended for the West , or maps published
with the support of foreign elements. 1 This
report does not examine maps published officially or unofficially
in Israel. It is of note that the cease-fire line is not officially
recognized by Israel and does not appear on official Israeli maps.
However, maps published by the Israel Mapping Center and other maps
depict the various categories of PA areas (A, B and nature
reserves). |
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It is of note that ignoring the existence of the State of
Israel as a political entity in the Middle East is not solely characteristic
of maps published by the Palestinians. Many maps and atlases published in various
Arab states mention “Palestine” instead of Israel (examples in appendix
I). |
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This review illustrates an analysis of the maps of “Palestine”
circulated in the Palestinian areas as follows: |
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Table
of Contents |
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Appendix A
Maps of “Palestine” marking the “green line ” (the
colloquial term for the border before the 1967 war) and ignoring Israel
and Israeli cities (including examples of Palestinian textbooks which
do not mention Israel at all. |
Appendix B
Maps of “Palestine” as a single entity without marking
the “green line” |
Appendix C
Regional maps : the place of “Palestine” within
the Arab-Muslim expanse |
Appendix D
Miniature maps of “Palestine” integrated into the
Palestinian flag |
Appendix E
Maps inculcating the value of the “right of return”, bolstering the “victim
ethos” and fostering hatred towards Israel.
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Appendix F
Miniature maps of “Palestine” projecting violent messages in support of the
“armed struggle”
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Appendix G
Maps mentioning Israel and Israeli cities by name (mostly in English) designed
for Western audiences, or maps prepared by institutions or entities involved
with Western elements
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Appendix H
The motifs embedded in geography classes as reflected in the notebook “The Geography
of Palestine” captured in Operation Defensive Shield
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Appendix I
Examples of Israel being ignored in maps and geographical data of Arab states |
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