Israel's education ministry 'suspends program' over Palestinian novel

"The Little Lantern is a story about a king who dies, leaving his only daughter and heiress to the throne. He leaves his will with the wise man in the castle, which instructs his daughter that in order to become the queen of the kingdom, she has to bring the sun into the castle before the candle melts. The princess, being young, thought that she would be able to catch the sun and carry it on her back to the castle. She tries many ways, but to no avail. She later locks herself in her room, and on the eighth day, finds a note under her door, saying that by locking herself in, she will never find a solution.... "

"Another play for children at Christmas, this story is based in the Middle East and narrates the story of a princess, Amire, and her two sisters, Shareela and Bubba. When their Father dies, Amire is made queen on condition that she brings the sun into the palace; if she fails she will be trapped in a dark box. She tries to grab the sun while it is setting but to no avail and eventually gives up. Her ambitious sister Shareela is glad of this and declares herself queen. However with the help of the Djinn and Azim, a poor man searching for oil to stop his lamp from going out, she eventually realises that it is only by tearing down the walls and letting people in with their lamps that the sun will shine in the palace. It is a story about following your dreams, having courage and breaking down barriers between rich and poor. The original play was written by Palestinian writer Ghassane Kanafani" Theatre Workshop (Scotland): The Little Lamp

 http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=545387

Israel's education ministry 'suspends program' over Palestinian novel

Published Wednesday 05/12/2012

BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) – Israel's Ministry of Education has suspended a literature program for fifth graders because a Palestinian novel was on its syllabus, Israeli media reported Wednesday.

The ministry suspended the program after parents complained that pupils were asked to read and summarize "The little lamp," a book by renowned Palestinian novelist Ghassan Kanafani, Maariv newspaper reported.

The literature program is funded by the Jerusalem-based Abraham Fund Initiative, an NGO to advance coexistence.

The ministry says the problem is with the author rather than his novel. Kanafani, who was assassinated in 1972, was a spokesman for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

As a result, the ministry decided to suspend the program to study it very deeply and decide whether to resume it or cancel it.