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Islamic University in Gaza Offers Diploma in Hebrew Language Studies

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Having entertained the notion that it is decidedly advantageous to become conversant in the official language of one’s arch enemy, the Islamic University under Hamas rule in Gaza is now offering a new one-year diploma course in Hebrew language studies for its Palestinian students,

Until the mid 1990s, instruction in the Hebrew language had been a standard subject in high schools in Gaza, but after a Palestinian self-rule government began taking charge of civilian affairs, that all stopped. Acknowledging that Gazans need to acquire a grasp of Hebrew in order to deal with their geographical neighbors, last year, the Hamas government decided to reinstate the subject, as they have drawn the conclusion that as a people, their lives are intertwined at least for the foreseeable future. While Hebrew has been offered as an elective at several universities in Gaza, this diploma offering focuses exclusively on the language.

Hamas rulers in the Palestinian enclave claim that they wish to create a cadre of qualified teachers as they gradually introduce Hebrew studies in it high schools. Hamas has already begun offering Hebrew studies as an elective to ninth graders in 16 schools, and plans to broaden the program to dozens of other schools in the coming months. Somayia Nakhala, an official of the Hamas Education Ministry said, “As Jews are occupying our lands, we have to understand their language.”

Today, there are 19 students enrolled in the course at the flagship university in Gaza City, which is considered a stronghold of Hamas. Since their rule of Gaza commenced in 2007, the Islamic terrorist organization has not recognized the existence of Israel as a Jewish state, and Hamas has candidly pledged its eradication. To that end, they have savagely murdered hundreds of Israelis in suicide bombings, rocket strikes and other attacks.

Since the 1967 Mideast war, Gaza was part of Israel, as tens of thousands of Jews settled there; building thriving agricultural settlements. In 2005, at the behest of former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, a “disengagement” plan was implemented in the name of territorial compromise with the Palestinians and the settlers, along with Israeli troops left the region.

The coastal strip still relies on Israeli-run crossings for most consumer goods, and because of legitimate Israeli concerns about terrorism and weapons smuggling, Gaza patients must receive special permits to reach medical care in Israel or the West Bank. Students need to “understand what’s going on, like wars, medical treatment in Israel, in the West Bank,” said the Education Ministry’s Nakhala.

Among older residents of Gaza, the vast majority are fluent Hebrew speakers, as for many years they earned their livelihood in Israel, as they worked in restaurants, the construction trade and other jobs. In the more halcyon times of yesteryear, Israelis too would cross the border in to Gaza to shop and dine at local eateries.

Today, direct interaction between the two peoples has faded into a historical footnote. In the aftermath of the first Palestinian “intifada” in 1987, Israelis stopped coming to Gaza and after the eruption of the second Palestinian uprising in the fall of 2000, Israel imposed restrictions on the entry of Gazans. Since the 2005 Israeli withdrawal and the subsequent Hamas takeover, even a tangential relationship between the two parties no longer exists.

On display recently during a Hebrew class at the Islamic University was the animus that Gazans harbor toward their Israeli neighbors. Practicing their newly acquired language skills in a faux physician-patient dialogue, two Muslim women with their faces veiled turned their conversation to the chilly weather, as another student described the frigid conditions while being incarcerated in an Israeli prison because his jailers refused to give him a blanket.

“Saval maspik,” he said in broken Hebrew. “Suffered enough.”

In yet another illustration of the fractious relationship between Palestinians in Gaza and their Israeli counterparts, while discussing medical terms, lecturer Kamal Hamdan and a student created a dialogue between Palestinian paramedics and Israeli officials, asking how many people were wounded in an Israeli military incursion into Gaza.

Because the etymology of both Arabic and Hebrew, are of a Semitic origin, Hamdan drew similarities as he pointed at parts of his body, calling out the words.

“Rosh. Ras,” he said, speaking in Hebrew, then Arabic as he pointed at his head. “Af, anf,” he said, gesturing toward his nose, “Re-ot, Ri-a,” he said, speaking the words for lungs. “The head is ‘rosh’?” a student asked. “Ah!” he exclaimed as it clicked.

“Even if there’s a difference in politics, culture, even if there is an occupation and oppression, the languages resemble each other,” Hamdan told the students.

Conversations in Hebrew class have even touched upon the genesis of the political Zionist movement and centuries-old Jewish history. While discussing the Israeli health care provider, “Maccabi,” Hamdan told his students the word referred to ancient Jewish rebels. That topic segued into a discussion of one of the earliest Zionist pioneers, Joseph Trumpeldor, who helped bring Jewish immigrants to Palestine and was killed in 1920 while defending the Jewish settlement of Tel Chai in northern Israel against Arab attacks. Hamdan intoned the legendary phrase attributed to the fighter as he died: “It is good to die for our country.”

As Israeli TV and radio broadcasts are easily accessible in Gaza, some students said they were studying Hebrew in order to understand them. Giving voice to her frustration at not being equipped to comprehend Israeli news broadcasts during the last major round of Israel-Hamas fighting in November, Ghada Najjar, 26, and a mother of two said, “It’s a weapon, even if it’s not very powerful, to understand.”

After participating in a four-month coexistence program at New York University, Jihad Abu Salim, 24, said he began studying Hebrew. “I felt it was my duty to learn more about their history, politics and culture,” he said.

Because relations between Gaza and Israel are essentially moribund, Palestinian students in Gaza face unique challenges to learning Hebrew. Few will ever have the opportunity to practice the language face-to-face with native speakers, as any contact with Israelis is viewed with antagonism.

A small coterie of Gaza residents, mostly traders and medical officials, regularly enter Israel for business purposes, however, Hamas condemns any other contacts, and the government recently instituted a ban on Gaza journalists from working with or for the Israeli media. Those residents of Gaza who clandestinely communicate with Israeli friends on email or Skype say they are reticent to openly discuss those relationships with others.

Like most Gaza residents, veteran Hebrew-language teachers view Israel with a palpable acrimony after decades of conflict, but they also recall a more peaceful era, when they could freely enter Israel to study Hebrew.

60-year-old Hebrew instructor Jamal al-Hadad expressed anger at what he called linguistic theft; noting the many Arabic words that have been incorporated into the modern Hebrew language. “Like they stole Palestine, they also stole our words,” al-Hadad declared. On the other hand, he also proudly showed off a collection of poems he had written in Hebrew, an admixture of pro-Palestinian rhymes and odes to love. Objecting to the idea he was simply teaching an adversarial tongue al-Hadad said, “It is the language of our enemies, but it is also the language of our neighbors.”

Perspectives that smack of ambivalence are fairly common on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian divide. For Israeli high school students in 7th to 10th grade, Arabic is supposed to be a mandatory subject, but only about half of the schools teach it. According to the coexistence group Abraham Fund, in most cases, students only take it for two years.

Israeli military and intelligence agencies typically seek Arabic language specialists to monitor Arabic media, interrogate Palestinian suspects, handle Palestinian informants or use it during undercover operations. Israeli peace activist Gershon Baskin said that irrespective of Hamas’ intentions, teaching Hebrew could open doors of understanding. “It has the potential to change world views,” said Baskin. “Facebook, email, chatting, the whole world is open. You can’t prevent contact if people want contact.”

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