Lesson Title:

Genocide of Palestinians

Author:

H. S.

Grade Level:

Highschool Grades 9-12

Length:

1-2 classes

Subject:

History/ Social Studies

Topic:

Human rights, genocide, and ethnic cleansing

Objective:

To learn the meaning of genocide and its application vis-à-vis Palestine

Learning Context: 

Is there any information that teachers or learners should know before the lesson?

Students should ideally have some foundational knowledge of the Nakba, key historical events in Palestine, and contemporary developments to fully engage with the lesson material. This should also be done after teaching about the Holocaust.

Activities/Lesson Procedure:

Intro/Anticipatory Set (10 min)

• Begin by defining 'genocide' as per Article II of the Genocide Convention: United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect.
• Whole class reading:  Ethnic Cleansing - UN

• Utilize teachers' preferred annotation method to complete the reading.
• Whole class discussion: Introduce the term 'ethnic cleansing' and explore its relationship to and differences from genocide. Ethnic Cleansing - UN

• Note: This should be a review since it is ideal this is taught after teaching about the Holocaust.

Case studies of Genocide (20-40 min)

• Reference Samantha Power's 'A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide' for examples and discussions on genocide.

• The Bosnian genocide Chapter 9 pages 250-251 is important to include since there are parallels to Israel’s usage of “warnings” before bombing civilian areas.
• Chapters 6, 8, 9, 10, 11 can all be used depending on the amount of time the teacher wants to allot. Budget 10-15 min for each example.

• Examine Power’s exploration of the reasons genocide continues to occur. This discussion is found in the conclusion of her book.
• Discuss with students how “never again” has become “time and time again” Genocide: "Never again" has become "time and again" | OHCHR

Manufacturing Consent (20-30 min) (Optional)

• Introducing the concept of “Manufacturing Consent” from “Manufacturing Consent: The political economy of the Mass Media” by Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky.

• There is also a documentary on the contexts of the book: Manufacturing Consent  Noam Chomsky and the Media (Documentary) 1080p.
•  There is also a summarized 10 min video: Noam Chomsky - Manufacturing Consent

• Share different clips from the media dehumanizing Palestinians to show. Examples can be found in this link Genocide in Gaza: the complicity of Western mainstream media | Counterfire Other examples below.
• Relate the concept of Manufacturing Concept to how genocide is allowed to take place. Students can in groups discuss this and come up with 3 points to share with the class. One representative from each group can share one of the 3 points they came up with.

Historical context (20-40 min)

• Review the Nakba
• Present the timeline of Palestine. Rashid Khalidi’s “The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance” to draw from. The introduction contains insights into the intent for ethnic cleansing from the founder of the Zionist movement.
• Consult Ilan Pappe’s 'The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine' for further depth.
• Highlight the necessity of intent in defining genocide, using documented statements from Zionist leaders and Israeli politicians to explore this concept: EMERGENCY LEGAL BRIEFING PAPER

Comparative analyses (15min)

• Have students make comparisons between Palestine and other case studies (that were taught in section b) of genocide to foster a broader understanding of the term and its applications. This can be a class discussion led by the teacher.

Personal testimonies (20min)

• If there are Palestinian students in the class who have stories they are willing to share, this can be a good way to bring this topic “closer to home.” Note this may be too sensitive for students to do so make sure that they are comfortable doing this.
• In addition to and/or if there are no students willing to share their personalized story, use selected testimonies from the following link to personalize the historical narrative: https://www.palestineremembered.com/index.html.

Conclusion and Reflection (10min)

• Teacher to summarize the key themes of this lesson. A paper can be assigned to students here and the resources below can be shared.
• Themes:

• Review the meaning of genocide
• Review why genocide happens in the world
• Review similarities of other genocides from history to Palestine

Materials, Resources & Background Information

• United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect
• Ethnic Cleansing - UN
• Genocide: "Never again" has become "time and again" | OHCHR
• EMERGENCY LEGAL BRIEFING PAPER
• Rashid Khalidi’s “The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance”
• Ilan Pappe’s 'The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine'
• Samantha Power’s “A Problem from Hell”
• A Textbook Case of Genocide (jewishcurrents.org) 
• 3 Part documentary on the Nakba Al-Nakba: The Palestinian catastrophe - Episode 1 | Featured Documentary 
• Manufacturing Consent  Noam Chomsky and the Media (Documentary) 1080p
• Noam Chomsky - Manufacturing Consent
• Examples of Manufacturing Consent:

• On the dehumanization of Palestinians: On the Dehumanization of the Palestinians | Institute for Palestine Studies
• Genocide in Gaza: the complicity of Western mainstream media | Counterfire
• This article has links to video clips that can be used as well https://www.huffpost.com/entry/palestinian-muslim-arab-islamophobia-media_n_65319009e4b03b213b094cce 

Standards:

Holocaust Law Section: 18A:35-28: Instruction on Holocaust, genocides required in elementary, secondary school curriculum2. a. Every board of education shall include instruction on the Holocaust and genocides in an appropriate place in the curriculum of all elementary and secondary school pupils.

b. The instruction shall enable pupils to identify and analyze applicable theories concerning human nature and behavior; to understand that genocide is a consequence of prejudice and discrimination; and to understand that issues of moral dilemma and conscience have a profound impact on life. The instruction shall further emphasize the personal responsibility that each citizen bears to fight racism and hatred whenever and wherever it happens.

Constitutions, laws, treaties, and international agreements seek to maintain order at the national, regional, and international levels of governance. 6.2.12.CivicsPI.6.a: Use historic case studies or a current event to assess the effectiveness of multinational organizations in attempting to solve global issues.

Governments around the world support universal human rights to varying degrees 6.2.12.CivicsHR.6.a: Evaluate the effectiveness of responses by governments and international organizations to tensions resulting from ethnic, territorial, religious, and/or nationalist differences.