Emirati schools already teaching about peace treaty with Israel in textbooks

Even before official signing of UAE-Israel agreement, Emirati schoolbooks already state cooperation and peace fundamental Islamic values and UAE national characteristics, citing the upcoming deal

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Textbooks used in schools in the United Arab Emirates are already teaching about the normalization agreement between the Gulf state and Israel, barely two weeks after the announcement of the deal.
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    • IMPACT-se, a research and policy institute that analyses schoolbooks and curricula within the prism of UNESCO-defined standards on peace and tolerance, has released a preliminary report evaluating the current United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) Moral Education curriculum, taught in all schools, both public and private, from grades 1-12.
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    the Emirati, Israeli and US flags are picture attached to an air-plane of Israel's El Al, adorned with the word "peace" in Arabic, English and Hebrew    the Emirati, Israeli and US flags are picture attached to an air-plane of Israel's El Al, adorned with the word "peace" in Arabic, English and Hebrew
    UAE, Israeli and U.S. flags hoisted from window of El Al plane, adorned with the word "peace" in Arabic, English and Hebrew
    (Photo: AFP)
    UAE has undergone a lengthy process of textbook reform as part of its process toward modernization and national development.
    Part of the Moral Education Curriculum - composed of four units; character and morality, the individual and the community, cultural studies, and civic studies - it is aimed at creating a holistic educational system that blends personal development and civics with traditional subjects.
    Key findings of the IMPACT-se report included positive developments across a range of competencies.
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    An Emirati official stands near an air-plane of El Al, which carried a US-Israeli delegation to the UAE following a normalisation accord, upon it's arrival at the Abu Dhabi airport    An Emirati official stands near an air-plane of El Al, which carried a US-Israeli delegation to the UAE following a normalisation accord, upon it's arrival at the Abu Dhabi airport
    An Emirati official stands near an El Al plane in Abu Dhabi
    (Photo: AFP)
    These include: diversity and inclusivity, in which students are encouraged to view diversity positively and as a source of national pride. By learning about the importance of respecting different cultures and beliefs the curriculum aims to eradicate discrimination.
    Peace is highlighted as the preeminent goal for global society in textbooks as early as the fourth grade. Students are taught that one of the UAE's national characteristics is to place central importance on the value of peaceful conflict resolution.
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    Israeli National Security Advisor Meir Ben-Shabbat elbow bumps with an Emirati official as he makes his way to board the plane to leave Abu Dhabi     Israeli National Security Advisor Meir Ben-Shabbat elbow bumps with an Emirati official as he makes his way to board the plane to leave Abu Dhabi
    National Security Advisor Meir Ben-Shabbat greeted by UAE official in Abu Dhabi
    (Photo: EPA)
    "It is remarkable that a textbook that teaches about the UAE-Israel treaty was on the desks of schoolchildren in the Emirates just two weeks after the announcement of the agreement," said IMPACT-se CEO Marcus Sheff.
    "The treaty is not just presented as a fact in the textbook. Students are presented with the religious, ethical and national reasons to support the agreement and employ critical thinking in completing an exercise about the importance of peace-making," he maintained.
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