Parents for Excellence in Newton Schools

March 8, 2015

Verity Educate Report Summary. 16 out of 26 documents surveyed are extremely problematic.
*= problematic; not suitable for use by students or anyone else
Note: It is very unlikely that any of these materials were used solely to stimulate discussion or as an
example of bias; all present themselves as historically accurate and neutral.
Please note that this summary has not been reviewed or approved by Verity Educate.

Handouts
*A. Prominent Voices on One and Two-State Solution

No attribution. Did a teacher put this together or is from a source document?

Class assignment:
o Majority of voices promote a one-state Palestine solution, which does not accurately portray
the opinions of either most politicians or ordinary residents of the region (both Israeli and Arab).
o Opinions of one-state Palestine solution given inordinate space
o Radical 'one-state Palestine' solution (the destruction of Israel) presented as a mainstream and
well-accepted option
o No mention of other options, including maintaining the status quo and one-state Israel solution
o Fails to state that the two-state solution is the official policy of both the P.A. and Israel
o The only Israeli voices proponents are either left or far-left on the political spectrum
o The only statistics given are from 1987
o One-state Palestine proponents are inaccurately presented as experts in Middle East history
o Experts misrepresent Judaism and Israeli law
o Many of those quoted are little known, not prominent

*B. Letter to the Family of the Sniper who Killed David Damelin

No facts or historical context. What were the circumstances of the killing? What was the political
situation at that time? Purely personal narrative with no stated connection to historical events
No attribution, appears to be from website www.onbeing.org
Assignment is to write a return letter, again with no context or incorporation of historical events, only
students personal feelings about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Most important: There was in fact a (unsympathetic) response the snipers family; however as far as
can be ascertained, neither that information or the letter was provided to students. The feelings of David
Damelins family may have changed significantly after receiving this response, however students will
not know this unless they are told of the response. This is academically and historically dishonest.

*C. Islamic History (from www.islamicweb.com)

Material is from a radical Islamist website which denigrates other religions and implies that nonMuslims should be killed
Texts radical origins not noted
Extremely inaccurate, distorted view of the subject - there are so many problems that summarizing them
would take several pages. See Verity Educate report.
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*D. POV -Timeline - History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Material specifically claims to be a neutral contrast of the Israeli and Palestinian versions of the
Palestinian-Israeli conflict. However, there are numerous inaccuracies and distortions,
especially on the Israeli side, which (falsely) reflect negatively on Israel.
Created under the supervision of an anti-Israel BDS proponent, which is not disclosed to students.
Again, a summary of the issues and inaccuracies would take many pages - The Verity Educate
report has fifteen pages discussing these inaccuracies in only the first part of the material.

E. How Hard Could it Be?

No attribution for the provided maps, which appear to be from the CIA Factbook. A larger set of maps
would be helpful. Overall, however, the material is accurate.

Primary Sources
*F. Perspectives on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Two similar, though not identical, packets containing altered primary source material
No attribution
Several items have changes which are not in the original documents. There is no mention of these
changes. Students are provided with falsified and deliberately altered primary source documents.
At times, the alterations change the meaning of those documents.

The following primary source documents, which consist of every document in the packet, have been altered
or amended:
Hamas Covenant

The version given to students is a non-standard translation from a radical Islamist cleric
instead of the translation commonly used by academics and political commentators. Students are not
told they are utilizing a little-used and discredited translation.
The version distributed to students is not only translated in a non-standard manner, it has
undergone two separate occurrences of deceptive editing. The first was by the editors of the
sourcebook from which the text was taken; the second was by the teacher of other individual who
copied and pasted the text from the sourcebook into the form in the handout given to students.
Verity Educate: The editing of the Hamas Covenant is so extreme that in some cases sentences
from different articles of the Covenant are fused together...the extreme edits, from both the
sourcebook and whoever created the handouts, have so altered the original primary source as
to create an entirely new meaning.
The title of the Covenant is incorrect. The word Palestine is not part of the Arabic phrase from
which the acronym Hamas is derived; and the proper (English) name of the document is
Covenant, not Charter.
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The comments state that Hamas considers itself to be the Palestinian branch of the Muslim
Brotherhood, implying that this may not actually be the case. In fact, Hamas is closely connected
with the Brotherhood and was founded as an offshoot. The comments inaccurate claim minimizes
the close connection between the two groups.
The comments imply that America cutting off aid was one of the reasons Hamas took over
Gaza instead of taking over both Gaza and the West Bank was the withdrawal of American aid. In
fact, not only the U.S. but the U.N., E.U., and Russia also imposed foreign aid sanctions.. The
intent of the U.S. withdrawal of aid was not to allow Hamas to only take over Gaza instead both
Gaza and the West Bank, but an attempt to stop Hamas from seizing power at all.
There is no mention that the Covenant references The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a
discredited, anti-semitic hoax from the early 1900s.

Speech by Yasar (sic) Arafat: We Recognize Israel

The purported title of the speech, We Recognize Israel, is NOT part of the original speech but
has been placed there by an editor. In reality, the speech has no title.
The words We Recognize Israel do not appear anywhere in the speech
In fact, nothing in the speech even remotely implies that the PLO agrees to recognize Israel.
The only mention of U.N. Resolution 181 is in references to Palestinian, not Israeli, rights and
recognition
President Abbas has clearly stated that the P.A. STILL does not recognize Israel
Commentary by the editor, who claims that Arafat recognized Israel in a speech the previous
day (December 13, 1988) is inaccurate. The only mention of Israel in that speech were complaints
about her behavior and demands on her sovereignty. There is no mention of recognizing Israel in
that speech; Arafats citing of U.N. 181 are was made with respect to Palestine, not Israel.
The meaning of U.N. Resolution 242 set forth in the comments is inaccurate, as is the use of the
term Occupied Territories which was not in use at the time the resolution was made, and which
even today is not ordinarily capitalized.

Speech by Ariel Sharon: Program for Dealing with the Palestinians

Commentary falsely states that Sharons visit to the Temple Mount was instead a famous visit to
the Muslim shrine Dome of the Rock during which Sharon was accompanied by hundreds of
armed Israeli soldiers. This claim removes all Jewish historical connection, as well as Judaism
itself, from the site of the Temple Mount.
Why is the word armed included, as soldiers by definition are expected to wear arms? This
promotes bias by presenting Israel as an armed and presumably violent nation.
The purported title of the speech, Program for Dealing with the Palestinians, is NOT part of
the original speech but has been placed there by an editor. In reality, the speech has no title.
No wording even remotely similar to the phrase dealing with the Palestinians appears in the
speech
In fact, the speech itself is not concerned with dealing with the Palestinians. The speech
underlines the need for a broad national consensus about Israels security and the status of
Jerusalem.

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The phrase dealing with the Palestinians implies a nefarious plan by Israel. The term dealing
with a person or situation is usually used to either connote a hostile or violent response, or a
response to a difficult (often hostile) person or situation.
The editors comment that Sharons proposal would the West Bank [presumably meaning a
future Palestinian state] entirely within the state of Israel implies that this situation is novel
and/or unacceptable. In reality, the existence of such an enclave, while not common, is neither
unheard of nor a barrier to establishing independence. The nations of Lesotho, San Marino, and
Vatican City are all enclaves; there are also enclaves of extranational territories in Europe, Africa,
and Asia. In addition, several nations would be considered true enclaves (nations entirely
surrounded by another nation) but for the presence of a water boundary.
The comments section misstates how the Israeli political process works

Speech by Yitzhak Rabin: The Price of Occupation

Yet again, the editor supplies a title to Rabins speech which does not exist
The speech is misleadingly edited. The editing creates the impression that the IDFs estimate of
Palestinian injuries discussed in the speech is 25,000. In reality, Rabin first set forth the (actual)
IDF estimate of 18,967 injuries and later states that his own estimate is at least 25,000. Although this
may seem like a relatively minor matter, it illustrates the disregard for factual accuracy, which is
present in much more serious claims and deceptive editing elsewhere.
The comments imply that the 1994-1995 agreements between Israel and the PLO, commonly
known as the Oslo Accords, was a great achievement. There is no mention of the fact that
twenty years later, the Accords are widely considered to be a failure and believed by many to be
responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent people.
The comments imply that the election of Arafat as President of the Palestine Authority was a
great achievement. There is no mention of the fact that both Arafat and Mahmoud Abbas, the
current P.A. President, both remained in office illegally after their terms expired, and that it is
generally acknowledged that one of Arafats most important legacies was a culture of
corruption and millions of dollars donated by Western nations which went to Arafats bank
accounts, not for their intended purposes.

*G. Palestinian National Charter (1968)

Article 2, which states that all of Israel is part of Palestine, is eliminated

o Article 2 is important and integral part of the Charter. It contradicts the principles of the 1993
Oslo Accords and other peace initiatives. In addition to being deceptive, its elimination changes
the meaning of the Charter and gives readers an inaccurate understanding of Palestinian
Authority goals and principles.
The numbering of the Articles is removed so that the removal of Article 2 is hidden. This is an
intentional attempt to deceive readers.
In other words, students are provided with an intentionally falsified and altered version of the
document.

H. Declaration of Israel's Independence

Attribution on document, accurate, and complete

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I. Resolution 242

No attribution, but accurate

J. Letter from Yasser Arafat

No attribution, but accurate

*K. 2006 Hamas Electoral Reform

No attribution
Edited to remove meaning of some passages

Media & Press

*L. The Checkpoint

No attribution; from Atlantic magazine 2006

No 'Palestinian' voices at the checkpoint
From Arab Palestinian point of view - need Israeli point of view
Misconstrues the game "ga-ga" (like dodgeball) as (1) below knee (it's below the waist) (2) training for
army
o Suitability for class depends on context. Is the Israeli view of checkpoints and the security fence
also presented? Class needs to be told that the author's far-fetched extrapolation of the game gaga as a means to train two- and three-year olds for the IDF, where (according to the author) they
will be trained to quell civil unrest by shooting at rioter's feet, demonstrates extreme bias against
Israelis.

*M. Faces in the Timeline (1947-2009) and A Brief History of the Israeli-Palestinian
Conflict (1947-2009)
Faces in the Timeline

Accurate but for one important fact

Most analysts agree that Hamas does not have separate military and political wings
Numerous grammatical errors
No attribution. Where is this from?

Brief History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

'Israeli-Palestinian' not 'Arab-Israeli'

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March 8, 2015

No attribution except "BBC" - from BBC 'Israel Timeline' written for adults following the news in 2009,
not students who are unfamiliar w/history - i.e. Timeline assumes reader knows of Iraq Scud attacks and
lack of Israeli retaliation; students are mostly unaware of this
Many historical inaccuracies and unsupported hypothesis/allegations - i.e. Shia Islam caused Hezbollah
Extremely inaccurate. Verity Educate report found 37 errors

*N. Mapping Middle East Peace (NY Times Interactive Feature 9/11/2011)

not interactive any longer - URL no longer in use

lacks Arab perspective - focus completely on Israelis (other material may make up for this)
no mention of difficulties of two-state solution/land swaps including security concerns, infrastructure,
etc.
Confusion between fact and opinion; many opinions not backed by evidence

O. Five Pillars

Taken from BBC website, no attribution (plagiarized), edited. Academically dishonest

P. The Middle East During World War I

No source attribution; is from a BBC website. Authors name correctly attributed.

Accurate and unbiased. Author is a recognized expert in the subject.
Written for adult British readers; students may not have background needed to fully understand material.

Q. History News Network - What is the difference between Shia and Sunni Muslims
and Why does it Matter?

Attributed correctly
Accurate and unbiased

*R. The Hajj (film)

Misstates population figures over 300%

Implies that Islam is a 'better' religion than Christianity or Judaism because there are no 'rabbis or
priests' to intermediate between a worshipper and God. This is a recurrent theme in Wolfe's
(author/narrator) work. In addition, his other works contains negative descriptions and stereotypes of
Jews (describes observant men as smelly and pushy and their wives as over-dressed and made-up,
gossipy).

Textbooks & Books

*S. The Modern Middle East - A History
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No attribution. Author James Gelvin holds extreme anti-Israel views

Contains many errors, extreme bias against Israel
See Verity Educate report and PENS review
Use of this material is extremely prejudicial and inculcates students with anti-Israel bias unless
complementary materials are also studied. There is no indication that this is the case.

*T. World History - Human Odyssey

Contains numerous errors and bias. See Verity Educate report and PENS review.

*U. A Muslim Primer: The Status of Women

Numerous inaccuracies
Written for Christian audience
Fanciful statements, including claim that Catholic church reconsidering polygamy as a Christian
option
Purportedly a comprehensive review of status of women in Islam, yet ignores child marriage which
many believe is the greatest challenge effecting women today
Introduction of book (not distributed to students) cites with approval the claim that astronaut Neil
Armstrong was secretly a Muslim prevented from declaring his faith by government agents
Introduction also describes the Ayatollah Khomeini only as a "brilliant Shiite theologian" and thanks a
militant Islamist for teaching the author the "true meaning" of Islam

V. Islam - The Straight Path

Scholarly, authoritative resource. Correct attribution.

One criticism regarding the date the Koran became codified.

*W. Middle East Textbooks - Saudi v. Israeli

No attribution as to source - especially important in 'compare and contrast' analyses

Cannot accurately compare textbooks
o 3 Saudi textbooks v. one Israeli textbook
o Saudi textbooks cover years 1917-1973; Israeli textbook covers the year 1973 only
o Material eliminates the explanatory notes for all textbooks in the original
Claims to be 'equal' analysis, however Saudi viewpoint predominates

*X. The Reaches of the Empire

Incomplete attribution
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Verity Educate report states: Written in flowery, non-scholarly, non-factual prose ("coffee-book" style).
At least 13 inaccuracies described, including major issues such as describing Bedouin culture as
"barbaric", untrue statement that there was no year-round water source in Arabia, narratives
from religious books described as factual, inaccuracies as to source of various cultural exhibitors,
falsified description of treatment of conquered peoples

Y. Important Muslim Figures in History

No citations or attributions, otherwise factual and accurate

*Z. The Middle East in Transition

Numerous and extensive inaccuracies. Verity Educate report found 68 errors in the first 18 pages of the
booklet. The Report has an extensive analysis.
Important - it appears that Mr. Russell's honors history class makes use of five additional works from the
same program that produced this booklet. Many if not all of the program's works are inaccurate and
biased.

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