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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IPL 2025: KKR beat SRH by 80 runs
Kolkata, Apr 3 (PTI): Venkatesh Iyer answered his critics with a match-winning 60 off 29 balls, propelling Kolkata Knight Riders to a convincing 80-run win in the Indian Premier League here on Thursday.
Angkrish Raghuvanshi’s classy 50 (32b, 5x4, 2x6) in an 81-run stand with skipper Ajinkya Rahane (38 off 27) laid the foundation, while Iyer and Rinku Singh (32 not out off 17b) provided the late fireworks with a blistering 91-run partnership (41b) to lift KKR to 200/6 -- their highest total of the season.
Seamer Vaibhav Arora set the tone by removing the dangerous Travis Head (4) and Ishan Kishan (2) in successive overs to return with impressive figures of 4-1-29-3.
Harshit Rana dismissed Abhishek Sharma (2), leaving SRH reeling at 9/3 in 2.1 overs, while Andre Russell and Sunil Narine also chipped in with a wicket each to make it 66/5 inside 10 overs.
Varun Chakravarthy then cleaned up the lower order taking two wickets in two balls en route to his 4-0-22-3 as SRH crumbled to 120 all out -- their explosive batting lineup lasting just 16.4 overs.
The defending champions thus returned to winning ways after losing two of their first three matches and will next face Lucknow Super Giants on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, SRH, enduring their third straight defeat, head home to take on Gujarat Titans on Sunday.
After being reduced to 9/3 in 2.1 overs, Nitish Reddy (19) counterattacked Arora with two fours and a six, while Kamindu Mendis (27 off 20 balls) lifted hopes by taking on Andre Russell with a pick-up shot over deep square leg.
But Russell struck back to remove Reddy before Sunil Narine (1/30) accounted for Mendis in the 10th over, reducing SRH to 66/5 at the halfway mark and effectively ending their chase.
Earlier, KKR’s new-look opening pair continued to struggle, with Quinton de Kock (1) and Narine (7) once again falling cheaply after Pat Cummins opted to bowl first.
Rahane and Raghuvanshi steadied the innings, countering early movement with intelligent shot selection.
Rahane’s back-to-back pull-shot sixes off Shami and Cummins broke the shackles, as KKR reached 53/2 after the powerplay.
Raghuvanshi showcased his stroke-making prowess with exquisite drives and a stunning reverse hit past backward point, reaching his fifty in 30 balls.
Zeeshan Ansari (1/25) eventually ended the partnership, dismissing Rahane in the same over Raghuvanshi was dropped on 43.
However, the youngster didn’t last long, falling to a stunning forward-diving catch off IPl debutant Kamindu Mendis.
Mendis, making his IPL debut, bowled left-arm spin to right-hander Raghuvanshi before switching to off-spin against the left-handed Rinku Singh in the same over, a rare sight in the competition.
Boundaries dried up for 16 balls before Iyer, KKR’s costliest player this season (INR 23.75 crore), broke the shackles with a desperate pull off a Simarjeet Singh beamer.
Rinku followed with three successive boundaries off Harshal Patel before Iyer tore into Simarjeet, hammering him for consecutive fours.
Rinku finished the over with a towering six over long-on, yielding 17 runs, while Iyer went berserk against Cummins in the 19th over, smashing him for 4, 6, 4, 4 in succession as KKR amassed 78 runs in the last five overs.
Cummins’ reluctance to use spin despite variable bounce raised eyebrows. Mendis (1/4) wasn’t given another over after his crucial breakthrough, while Ansari bowled just three overs (1/25).
Instead, Cummins trusted his pace attack, which failed to contain Iyer and Rinku in the death overs.
Brief Scores:
KKR: 200 for 5 in 20 overs (Venkatesh Iyer 60, Angkrish Raghuvanshi 50; Mohammed Shami 1/29, Kamindu Mendis 1/4).
SRH: 120 all out in 16.4 overs (Heinrich Klaasen 33; Vaibhav Arora 3/29, Varun Chakaravarthy 3/22).
