Germany’s leading Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the opposition Christian Democratic Party (CDU) have ordered high schools in Berlin’s borough of Neukolln to distribute brochures titled The Myth of Israel #1948.

The brochure states there are five “myths” around the creation of the state of Israel, which are subsequently refuted in short essays by various authors.

In the first section, debunking myth #1, that Jews and Arabs lived together in peace before Israel was founded, Israel’s pre-state militia, the Haganah, responsible for the destruction of 531 Palestinian villages and the expulsion of 700,000 Palestinians between December 1947 and the summer of 1948, is promoted as a merely “defensive” Jewish resistance movement.

“Myth #5: Israel is to blame for the Nakba”, includes a text by researcher Shany Mor titled “the UN is distorting the meaning of the Nakba: its view of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is extremely one-sided”.

In the text, Mor states that “displacement during war - then and now - was nothing unusual”.

He also labels the UN’s attention to the Palestinian cause “obsessive” and the Arab defeat of 1948 a myth.

  • GregorGizeh@lemmy.zip
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    8 months ago

    It is worth noting that Neukölln is a district with an enormous share of non-ethnic citizens and foreigners, many of whom are Muslims.

    I would assume that factored into the decision in some way or another.

      • GregorGizeh@lemmy.zip
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        8 months ago

        Exactly what it says? Citizens who are not ethnic nationals, German in this case.

        • Skua@kbin.social
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          8 months ago

          I assume you’re using a direct translation of a German term, but in English that doesn’t make sense. “Ethnic” as an adjective by itself usually means an ethnic minority, and while “non-ethnic” isn’t really a term anyone uses it would be read as meaning the majority ethnicity in a place

          • roguetrick@kbin.social
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            8 months ago

            They’re using it based on the ethnic majority vs minority, and it’s pretty obvious. And yes, there is an ethnic majority to counterbalance an ethnic minority. They’re talking about people who are german citizens but aren’t german ethnics.

            • Skua@kbin.social
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              8 months ago

              I know, they’ve already explained it. I’m just explaining why English first-language people might be confused by the phrasing.

            • notsofunnycomment@mander.xyz
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              8 months ago

              Ok, to me that already sounds very different.

              “Ethnic minority/ majority” makes sense.

              Non-ethnic German is tricky, because there are multiple ethnicities in Germany.

              Non-ethnic sounds like someone doesn’t have an ethnicity.

              • Maalus@lemmy.world
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                8 months ago

                No it doesn’t. Google “ethnic Germans”. The broad definition is any people of German descent or who speak the language natively. Someone who immigrated isn’t an ethnic German yet till they gain citizenship and speak the language fluently.