IV 

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 


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•HRES 511 IH 

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 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) applauds the efforts of those who attempt 

3 to build tolerance and mutual understanding among 

4 Israelis and Palestinians through education; 

5 (2) commends the Ramallah Friends School in 

6 the West Bank and the Hand-in-Hand School in 

7 Israel for providing their students the opportunity to 


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•HRES 511 IH 

1 expand their horizons beyond their day-to-day life, 

2 and applauds other schools and teachers who have 

3 undertaken similar initiatives; 

4 (3) encourages the Department of State to con5 tinue supporting programs that promote under6 standing between Israelis and Palestinians and 

7 Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs; and 

8 (4) applauds the teaching of the history of both 

9 Israelis and Palestinians in the region so that mu10 tual understanding, appreciation, and tolerance can 

11 flourish between two people destined to share the 

12 Holy Land. 

Æ 


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