Saudi texbooks revise maps, language regarding Palestine: Israeli study
An Israeli think-tank study reported significant changes in Saudi school textbooks, notably the removal of references to "Palestine" from most maps and a shift in language concerning Israel. The study, conducted by NGO Impact-se, analyzed textbooks from 2019 to 2024, revealing alterations, removals, and unchanged content.
Among the findings, a social studies textbook for grade 12 no longer taught Zionism as a racist movement since 2023. Additionally, another textbook eliminated the chapter addressing the Palestinian cause. Notably, maps in social studies textbooks for grades five and nine consistently omitted Palestine and Israel, a departure from previous versions.
According to the report, most maps excluded all countries not bordering Saudi Arabia, including Palestine. Moreover, two maps in a geography textbook for grades 10-12 no longer featured any country names bordering Saudi Arabia. Islamic studies and geography textbooks for grades 10-12 also replaced maps showing historic Palestine with Israel.
Further adjustments included the removal of references to Israel as "the Zionist entity" in a 2022 social studies textbook. Additionally, a textbook discussing Arab and Saudi support for the Palestinian cause was discontinued in 2023.
The study also noted a shift in tone regarding Israel. For instance, a high school social studies textbook revised references to Israel as "the Zionist enemy" to "the Israeli occupation army" in its 2022 edition.
Saudi Arabia, which had not formally recognized Israel since its establishment in 1948, faced speculation about potential normalization of relations, akin to Bahrain and the UAE. However, recent events, such as the Hamas-led attack on Israel in October and subsequent conflict resulting in Palestinian casualties, deterred such efforts.
The Saudi foreign ministry affirmed that no normalization would occur without progress toward Palestinian statehood and a ceasefire.
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Two incidents of betting over IPL cricket matches in Mysuru: Five men arrested
Mysuru: Police have arrested five people in two separate cases where betting for the IPL cricket matches was going on, and have confiscated various equipment used by the arrested men for the illegal activity.
In the first case, Hebbal Police arrested two men who were reportedly found betting during the IPL cricket matches, and have confiscated one laptop and three mobile phones from the arrested men.
The arrested men are identified as Pradeep (39) and Praful (21) of Naidu Nagar.
The police team is learned to have conducted the operation on the third floor of a hotel within the Hebbal Police Station limits on getting information of betting over the IPL matches going on. The gamblers allegedly were getting citizens to invest money online and betting illegally on IPL matches over mobile phones and laptops in order to illegally earning money from them.
Pradeep and Praful were taken into custody by the police who have filed a case and are investigating it.
The second incident occurred near the Town Hall on Thursday, May 7, when Devaraja Police arrested three men who were gambling.
The police have arrested Kumar (33) of Mandimohalla, PV Vinod (32) of Ilava and Likhith Kumar (27) of Paduvarahalli.
The three men were reportedly carrying out their criminal activity inside a car parked behind the Town Hall on Thursday, in order to earn money from the IPL tournament through a mobile phone. They were also found to have gotten citizens to invest money online and off-line in the cricket matches.
They were found and arrested by policemen who were on beat in the area near the Town Hall. In addition, one car, Rs 15,900 in cash and three mobile phones were seized from them.
A case has been registered by the Devaraja Police officers, who are investigating the case.
