A Mondoweiss reader has sent along the following map that is used in the orientation materials for Birthright trips to Israel. For those who don’t know, Birthright Israel is a program that gives free 10-day trips to Jewish young adults between ages 18-26 to build a connection with Israel and "strengthen participants’ personal Jewish identity":
A few things stand out about the map. First are the terms Judea and Samaria to help designate the West Bank. These are the biblical terms for the West Bank, and most associated in the US with the Israeli settler movement who use the designation to imply the Jewish "birthright" to the land. At least the the map also says West Bank, which is maybe a nod to the supposedly "disputed" nature of the territory.
More odd to me is that Gaza is displayed in green, while the West Bank and Golan Heights are in light blue. This which would seem to indicate that Gaza is a foreign entity similar to Egypt, Jordan, Syria or Lebanon, and not part of the occupied territories.
The entire Birthright orientation manual is after the jump. The person who sent it along is also interested to hear Mondoweiss readers thoughts about the timeline and history sections (pgs 19-21) and the reading list (lots of Dershowitz) –
