What Israel would look like if more students learned Arabic
Israel is situated in the heart of the Arab world, yet it fails to encourage the study of Arabic, except in a military context.
“Arabic-language instruction in the Jewish sector is based on the idea that citizens of Israel should be familiar with Arabic language and culture. Arabic-language curricula have been developed in accordance with the following assumptions: Knowledge of the Arabic language is of enormous value to every citizen of Israel. The Arabic language opens a window into greater understanding of Islamic culture and the peoples of the region.”
This statement was taken from a memorandum by the Director General of the Ministry of Education concerning Arabic-language instruction in Israel’s Jewish sector. It is dated It July 2018.
Instructors and soldiers serving in the Israel Defense Forces' Department for the Promotion of Middle Eastern Studies (Telem Department), which is part of the prestigious Unit 8200 of the Intelligence Corps, recently claimed that the department has ceased most of its activities, and that the entire department could be closed in the near future. The reasons given for this are a lack of budgetary resources and disagreements with the Ministry of Education.
The Telem Department was established after the 1973 Yom Kippur War as part of a decision by the army to encourage the study of Arabic in Israel. Over the years, soldiers from the Telem Department entered classrooms to teach the language, to promote the participation in the Gadna youth paramilitary program geared to Middle Eastern studies and to encourage students to take part in a special, nationwide quiz devoted to Islam, the Middle East and the Arabic language.
