Purely Commentary Resort to 'Zionist Bogey' Distorts Israel's Critics' Views on Middle East Issue By Philip SIOMOVitZ Rabin to Succeed Avraham Harman as Israel Envoy Item 10: The Arab countries interfered militarily to re- store the Palestinian Arabs (no word of what has happened to A reviewer of several of the books published about the June wai them since or why they should be restored) and to liquidate in the Middle East, writing in the Saturday Review, has shown that he Israel. Despite their (i.e. Arab) victories, they were unable to has been misled by anti-Jewish propaganda and has succumbed to the liquidate Israel because of the interference of the Security Coun- resort of anti-Zionism in an effort to disguise what may well have been cil. So the fighting was stopped. Then fighting was resumed really an anti-Jewish sentiment. When a person speaks of the "Zionist' and a second truce declared and the matter came to an end war he shows that he has been trapped by the haters of Israel. with the division of Palestine into three parts: a Jewish part, a That reviewer saw fit also to shed a few crocodile tears for the Jordanian part, and the Gaza Strip which comes under the rule of regret that the Arabs have "not mas- Arabs by expressing a sense of the United Arab Republic. tered the art of public relations." What about the years and years of Many of the texts were direct instigations to murder and to war- propaganda that was swallowed by the Christian world in the attacks on fare. The arithmetic examples, history books, science stories all em- and threats to exterminate Israel? Were these fables? Let the misled turn back the pages of history. Turn, for instance, phasized that Jews and Israelis were enemies. Is this art of public relations unknown to the misled writers who to the editorial in The Detroit Jewish News of Aug. 2, 1962, nearly five years before the June, 1967 war. The title of the editorial was "Is distort? Early in July, Terence Smith, of the New York Times staff Middle East War Inevitable?" It presented the facts not only about in Israel, cabled to his paper on the status of the schools in Arab threats and the instigations to war against Israel, but also the Israel's newly-acquired territory, and he quoted this example Russian role. That editorial could have been written in May 1967 and from one of the Arabic arithmetic books: 'If 10 Fedayeen (Arab the facts and the dangers were the same. What does it mean? Isn't it an territorists) cross the border into Israel and kill 20 Zionists, what indication that the Arabs' public relations—threats! threats! threats! is is the average number of Jews killed by each of the Fedayeen?" what they always were!—have not changed. And the fact that so many Smith reported that in an art class for youngsters in the Christians, the Saturday Review reviewer among them, have fallen for second and third grades Israeli soldiers found drawings painted the Arab anti-Israel propaganda is an indication that the art of hatred by teachers and pupils depicting Zionist Jews with huge noses has not collapsed. being bayonetted by handsome Arab soldiers. Another reported The most striking examples of that art have become apparent when drawing showed "a Zionist Jew" assaulting an Arab woman while the Arabic textbooks became available after Israelis gained control of Arab refugees looked on in horror. some of the territories previously held by Egypt and Jordan. Like the This is the type of propaganda that has embittered Arabs and textbooks that were found after the 1956 Sinai war, those used in the was used to teach the children to bate and to train for murder. Arabic schools aimed at instilling hatred and in emphasizing the need We challenge the SatReview reviewer to show a single example to conduct an endless war against Israel. of hate-teaching in Israel. On the contrary, most efforts are The manner in which history was distorted is revealed in a study being made to inculcate a desire to be fair and to befriend the AVRAHAM HARMAN made of these textbooks by Gideon Weigert who, in an article in the Arabs. But there is the Fifth Column danger that lurks every- Jewish Observer and Middle East Review of London, points to the fol- where and the new evdience is of a re-emerging struggle that will WASHINGTON (JTA) — Major lowing: compel Israel to be on even more vigilant guard than ever before. ! General Itzhak Rabin, Israel's We came across a hook written exactly according to the re- But the type of propaganda that is spread by American writers chief of staff, whose strategy in quirements of the official Egyptian curriculum. It is written by no who resort to the "Zionist" bogey in seeking a scapegoat does the Six-Day War was credited by less an author than Dr. Saudi, lecturer at the Cairo Teachers' Col- not and will not help encourage more peaceful relations. many as a major factor in Israel's lege. His co-author is a teacher in Egyptian State Schools. Its The critics of Israel and those who are shedding tears for Nasser stunning victory, will succeed jacket described it as the "latest, rewritten, brought up to date, and his cohorts would have done well to study the sentiments of those Avraham Harman as ambassador covering the National Charter and modern history from the Euro- who were on newspaper assignments in Cairo and their reactions to to the United States, it was re- pean Renaissance ... to the end of the 19th century." (Al-Jugra- the inhumanities that emanated from Nasser quarters. Editor and ported in reliable circles here. The fiyah al-Namuzijiyah wa Ta'rikh al-Alam al-Hadith — Model Publisher's June 17 report from Cairo was headlined "Angry Egypt Israeli Embassy here said it had Geograph and History of the Modern World — by Dr. Mohammed Gives Press Tough Time." Overseas Press Club Bulletin of July 1 "no comment" on the report. Abdul Ghani and Dr. Mamdouch Abdul Gham Saudi, published by carried a report from Athens by Andrew Borowiec under the heading The 45-year-old Israel-born gen- Model Press, Cairo 1966, 326 pp., price 32 Egyptian piastres.) "Locked Up by Nasser: Story of Inept Expulsion Order." There were Am- The book is divided into two parts, geography and history, with scores of cabled reports which revealed that there was a public rela- eral is expected to replace bassador Harman by the end of about 150 pages each. In the geographical section there are a few tions program by Nasser, but it bordered on the uncivilized. There this year, according to the report. points of interest worth noting. Compared to the large number of wasn't a single instance of injustice to the communications experts in He has not previously held any pages devoted to Japan. Russia and the continents of Europe and Israel or by Israelis. diplomatic post. America, the geography of the Arab countries is very scantily There have been many distortions—relating to the treatment of the Mr. Harman has served eight dealt with. refugees (which finally is humane under Israeli direction), the holy years in Washington. Last year None of the maps headed Al-Bilad aPArabiyah, the Arab places (which, at last!, are protected) and many other matters. he had asked to be relieved, but World, make any mention of Israel, and in only one page (page But there are more who recognize the justice of Israel's position was persuaded to remain at his 113) can the reader discover Falastin, Palestine, written in tiny without being misled by the hypocritical "justice" cries that come from post during the crisis. He is con- script in one corner. This section, like the history section, has an Amman and from Hussein—from those who had desecrated cemeteries sidered a likely choice in Israel appendix consisting of dozens of typical examination questions, with and failed to permit Jews to worship at their holy places. That's how a for the presidency of the Hebrew special emphasis on questions for "schools in the Gaza Strip." sham is made of justice. University. Turning to the history section, by far the most fascinating, material for the Israeli and European reader is the last of the seven Evils*'