The school year is well underway across North America and Europe.  And now that the fall holidays are over, the same is true of Israel.  And despite youthful grumblings and complaints most students are happy to be in school; they enjoy the structure, their friends and yes, sometimes even the learning.

But the young Arabs of Gaza and Judea and Samaria (erroneously referred to as the occupied West Bank) are not so lucky; despite Secretary of State Rice's protestations, the reasons for this sad state of affairs rests with the Arabs themselves.

But some Arabs, for a variety of reasons, desperately want an education so are going to desperate lengths to achieve it.

Youths carry knives or small bombs across checkpoints in order to get themselves arrested so that they can study for high school matriculation exams at the State of Israel's expense.

Oh sure, they risk getting killed but then they'll be a glorious martyr. And if captured

the returns are significant: A high school diploma, and a high social standing as a "freed terrorist."

Meanwhile, the foreign aid to these territories from the US has just increased to $468 million; not much of that is going to education.
 
Ethel C. Fenig  10 13 06
 
http://israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=113448