UNRWA prides itself on the education it provides to Palestinian students which purports to teach “peace, tolerance, and friendship among all peoples.” However, when we asked these students what they learned in their UNRWA schools, the UNRWA curriculum proved to be anything but peaceful.
“There’s no peace in our schools. It’s all about us returning to our land. The solution is Jihad in the path of Allah.” — UNRWA student Mas’ud from the Jalazone Boys’ School located a few miles outside of Ramallah.
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TRANSCRIPT
Exclusive from UN Watch: Interview of Mas’ud, Student at UNRWA’s Jalazone Boys’ School
My name is Mas’ud from Al-Jalazon Camp. [I am a student at UNRWA’s] Jalazone Boys’ School.
What did you learn at school about the Right of Return?
They teach about everything, of course. About the details, the meaning of return…It’s a right that goes back to ’48, and how we were evacuated.
What’s the solution for Jerusalem?
The solution for Jerusalem is jihad in the path of Allah.
Who are your heroes, your role models?
They are the resistance fighters. And all other parts of our life, which are, of course, our prophet, Mohammed, our God, the people of the resistance and jihad. Those are our role models in life.
Do you support peace between Israel and the Arab countries?
No, I don’t support peace. No peace between them.
What don’t you support?
I don’t support peace between them.
What do you think about Nasrallah?
Nasrallah, I have full respect for him, of course. He’s the only one, if you want to talk about this…he, the Yemeni president, and the president of Iran, of course. They’re the only ones standing by us.
Does the school teach you anything about peace?
Of course not. There’s no peace in our schools, of course. Especially not in the schools for the refugees.
If we take just the UNRWA school, it’s all about the Right of Return. It’s about us returning to our land, the land they took. It’s never going to be about peace between us and that state. They call themselves a state. They aren’t a state, anyway.
Do you want to become a martyr?
Be a martyr? Every young Palestinian man, not just those in the camp. Any Palestinian
young man, they all hope to be martyred. They really want to be martyrs.
