Izhak Schnell is Chairman of the Department of Geography & Human Environment at Tel Aviv University and President of the Israeli Geographical Association. He is also an editorial board member of the PIJ.
Religious Zionism has become a very important leading force in the Ministry of
Education and its interventions in public schools and emphasis on curricula emphasizing
national-religious values over openness and critical thinking.
Educational tours by German youth to Israel promote an understanding and empathy
for the Israelis, but they tend to provide a limited understanding of Palestinian reality.
The Israeli occupation has eroded Israeli democracy through a narrow neo-Zionist
patriotism, a culture of disregard for the law and a divided national identity.
Jews who care about their Jewish identity and Israel need to join the struggle to save
Israel from nationalist, anti-democratic, racist, and xenophobic currents.
Without lowering the birthrate, there is no chance to stabilize Palestinian society.
(This article was written as part of a project supported by IKV-Interchurch Peace Council, Netherlands.)
