Your letter Excerpt from George Washington University Prof. Nathan Brown's Noverbmebr 2001 study "DEMOCRACY, HISTORY, AND THE CONTEST OVER THE PALESTINIAN CURRICULUM" -- found at: http://www.nad-plo.org/textbooks/nathan_textbook.pdf · First, it will be necessary to clear up some misconceptions prevalent about the curriculum and the textbooks: the Palestinian curriculum is not a war curriculum; while highly nationalistic, it does not incite hatred, violence, and anti-Semitism. It cannot be described as a "peace curriculum" either, but the charges against it are often wildly exaggerated or inaccurate. · Second, the treatment of history in the Palestinian curriculum will be examined in some detail. The purpose will be to present patterns both in what it covers and what it declines to cover. · Third, the goals that motivate this coverage of history will be examined. Two primary goals' inculcation of identity and respect for authority -- will receive special attention. While the curriculum can thus be presented as authoritarian in some respects, it will also be observed that it is simultaneously democratic in its determination to reflect the national consensus rather than develop an elitist approach. Fourth and finally, the paper will examine an alternative educational vision that has been crystallizing among Palestinian educators and the effect of that alternative on the existing curriculum. That alternative vision -- that the educational system should promote the development of active learners, critical thinkers, and democratic citizens -- has yet to approach issues of identity directly. Yet it is increasingly influential and has had some impact on the current curriculum.