The Press constantly reminds us that Israel for the first time confirmed to the Palestinians in writing that it would withdraw from 13 percent of the West Bank -- with conditions.

It appears there is a deal in the works to give up more land....for what? What does Israel walk away with? How will Palestinian Arabs use their growing power and authority? Even the most stringent and meticulous contracts are only as good as the intentions of their signatories.

What about the intentions of those signatories? These are the same John Hancocks' that appear on and support the PLO Covenant, which aspires to destroy Israel. What monster is Netanyahu negotiating with?

And let's say, although doubtful, that a change in this charter is implemented...it will prove useless unless the education of Arab children reflects the change. This is true of all Israel's neighbors, but particularly about the Palestinian Arabs. No one expects the Arab education system to treat Zionism lovingly, but it must reflect recognition of Israel as a legitimate fact of life in the Middle East.

Unfortunately, there is no sign of such a development. There is no official school map anywhere in the Arab world, including Egypt and Jordan that contains the name Israel. The only maps are of pre-1948 Palestine, with the Jewish cities and villages omitted. The same holds true for school curricula in the Arab schools in Judea, Samaria, and Jerusalem. To make matters worse, the Israeli government has not done anything about this.

What Arab students study in a city which is part of Israel's undivided capital is almost exactly what they study in Gaza and Nablus. Ever since the responsibility for education in the territories was transferred to the Palestinian Authority in August of 1994, the curriculum in Jerusalem's Arab schools has been controlled by the PA. It is not only a matter of the study materials. The symbols and trappings of the PA have been introduced as well.

PLO flags are raised as a matter of routine. The colors of the flag adorn the female students' dresses. The study books and examination forms are adorned with the PA symbols and Arafat's emissaries decide on appointments, resolve administrative and personal differences, and send instructions on how to run schools. Some of the teachers are convicted terrorists who were released in the disastrous "Jibril exchange" of 1985. One can only imagine what they tell their students about the Arab-Israeli conflict, particularly in the absence of textbooks on the subject.

Israel is being chiseled away bit by bit. The Israeli taxpayer is supporting these municipally- runned schools, to which half of Jerusalem's Arabs send their children. In essence, these schools are being financed by Israel, but they belong to the PA. This is a contradiction in terms and is absolutely ludicrous. Using a map, in which Israel does not appear is an anti-Israel act
of hostility. A map of this sort also contravenes the agreement on the transfer of authority.

What the Palestinian Arabs understand, and the government fails to comprehend, is that as long as they can keep educating their children to think of Israel as a temporary, illegitimate phenomenon, there will be no real peace and certainly no integration and coexistence. This alone should give the government reason to pause.