- Title: SPAIN: Israel wants Spain to react over 'anti-Semitic' children drawings
- Date: 4th March 2010
- Summary: MADRID, SPAIN (MARCH 3, 2010) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF CHILDREN DRAWINGS. A CHILDREN LETTER READING: "MISTER AMBASSADOR, YOU SHOULD THINK A LITTLE BIT (A LOT) IN PEOPLE AND NOT KILL OLD AND YOUNG PEOPLE. I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU CAN POSSIBLY KILL BABIES. IF SOMEBODY HAVE TO LEAVE IT IS YOU BECAUSE IT'S THEIR PLACE, NOT YOURS. AND I HOPE THE WARS ARE OVER SOON, PLEASE" ANOTHER
- Embargoed: 19th March 2010 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Spain
- Country: Spain
- Topics: International Relations
- Reuters ID: LVA9V8VVM1WEBVREHZ7LJUR4IE46
- Story Text: Israel said on Wednesday (March 3) that it expected a reaction from the Spanish government after receiving packages of what they consider anti-Semitic material from public schools.
"We're hoping that the Spanish government takes the measures (which are) necessary to investigate the case to see what should be done. It's not our place to decide what the government should do with this school, with the teacher or with those responsible of this kind of activity," Lior Haiat, spokesman for the Israeli embassy in Madrid told Reuters.
The embassy has received packages in the last month from different elementary schools containing letters, postcards and drawings with messages that have caused controversy.
The last one came from "El Castell" public school in Valencia, which says it only wanted to join the annual Amnesty International initiative "A postcard, a life" to celebrate the International Day of Peace on January 30.
Israel considers these postcards more offensive than the rest, and Haiat compared the Spanish teaching with the one carried on by Hamas in Gaza.
"I have children of my own. They are about the same age. They're Israelis and they didn't even come to this issue of having to decide which political decision they should take and they're Israelis. I don't think the Spanish children of nine years old can take this position, obviously hearing one side of the story. Because that is what we're seeing here. The same thing happens within the Hamas government. They're teaching their children to hate the Jews. And the same thing has happened here. I think you can compare the two things, between how do you educate your children? Do you educate them for peace or do you educate them for hate and war?" Haiat stated.
Some of the drawings contained colourful "Peace" signs, but the letters, written with the characteristic childish handwriting contained messages saying "I don't know how you can possibly kill babies", "If somebody has to leave it's you because it's their place, not yours" and "Can you stop killing?".
"This is not the way to promote peace. This is no way of promoting understanding between the people. And this has nothing to do with helping the Palestinian people. The only thing that it helps is to create hate and to indoctrinate the new generation in Spain within the hatred towards Jews and the anti-Israelis messages," the spokesman added.
"The people of Israel and the people of Spain are growing to know each other. We only have 24 years of diplomatic relationship between the two countries. And I think there is a lot to know more, to know in Spain about Israel and in Israel about Spain, and I don't think this is the way to teach the children about the friendship of the two people," he added.
Amnesty International has been carrying out the postcard campaign for the last year since the Gaza war, codenamed Operation Cast Lead, began on December 27, 2008, and ended on January 18.
The organisation says it is still investigating the controversy and has not made any statement yet. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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