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[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 511 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 511

     Commending efforts to teach the history of both Israelis and 
Palestinians to students in Israel and the West Bank in order to foster 
             mutual understanding, respect, and tolerance.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 4, 2009

Mr. Moran of Virginia (for himself, Mr. Baird, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Cohen, 
    Mr. Ellison, Mr. Farr, Mr. Filner, Mr. Hinchey, Mr. Honda, Mr. 
 Kucinich, Ms. Lee of California, Mr. McGovern, Mr. Olver, Mr. Rahall, 
 and Mr. Stark) submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
                  to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
     Commending efforts to teach the history of both Israelis and 
Palestinians to students in Israel and the West Bank in order to foster 
             mutual understanding, respect, and tolerance.

Whereas the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict illustrates the need for both 
        sides of the conflict to understand the perspective of the ``other'', 
        and so requires teachers with the motivation, knowledge, and compassion 
        to teach Israeli and Palestinian students the historical perspective of 
        those they may fear;
Whereas Stephen Lassiter and Brian Phelps, graduates of the University of North 
        Carolina at Chapel Hill teaching at the Ramallah Friends School in the 
        West Bank, took the initiative to teach Jewish history to Palestinian 
        students by introducing them to ``The Diary of Anne Frank'', encouraging 
        them to understand the experience of the Jewish people during the 
        Holocaust;
Whereas Yiftah Ron, an Israeli-Jewish teacher, took it upon himself to teach 
        both Israeli and Palestinian perspectives of the Israeli-Palestinian 
        conflict to Jewish and Arab students at the Hand-in-Hand school in 
        Israel, including teaching Israeli-Jewish students the Palestinian 
        perspective of the 1948 war;
Whereas during her term as Israeli Minister of Education, Yuli Tamir, approved a 
        program to familiarize Jewish and Arab Israeli students from nursery 
        school through 12th grade with ``the culture of their counterparts, 
        their narrative, and its legitimacy'';
Whereas these individuals and these schools exemplify the kind of small steps 
        that must be taken on the long road to peace; and
Whereas real peace between Palestinians and Israelis will require Israelis and 
        Palestinians to understand the historical experience and narrative of 
        the other: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) applauds the efforts of those who attempt to build 
        tolerance and mutual understanding among Israelis and 
        Palestinians through education;
            (2) commends the Ramallah Friends School in the West Bank 
        and the Hand-in-Hand School in Israel for providing their 
        students the opportunity to expand their horizons beyond their 
        day-to-day life, and applauds other schools and teachers who 
        have undertaken similar initiatives;
            (3) encourages the Department of State to continue 
        supporting programs that promote understanding between Israelis 
        and Palestinians and Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs; and
            (4) applauds the teaching of the history of both Israelis 
        and Palestinians in the region so that mutual understanding, 
        appreciation, and tolerance can flourish between two people 
        destined to share the Holy Land.
                                 <all>
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