Professors bridge Mid-East divide

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Last Updated: Friday, 28 April 2006, 08:29 GMT 09:29 UK


Professors bridge Mid-East divide
By Martin Patience
BBC News website, Jerusalem


The year 1948 resonates with Israelis as the year their nation was born in blood during a war for independence against all odds.

The Mid-East enemies are not just divided by concrete and steel
For Palestinians, 1948 means something very different - the defeat of the Arab armies, the failure of Palestinians to establish their own state and the beginning of exile, when 750,000 Palestinians became refugees in neighbouring Arab countries.

The battle lines of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict extend to the classroom, where the two sides' versions of their shared history diverge sharply.

Now, two university professors aim to change the way the conflict is taught, by exposing Palestinian students to Israeli history lessons and Israeli students to the Palestinian version of history.

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4951842.stm