JERUSALEM, September 16, 2009 (WAFA)- The U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem donated more than 2,500 new books to three schools serving Palestinian students.

The  Al Fatat Al- Laji’ah Al Thanwyeh girls’ school and the Dar Al Aytam boys’ school in East Jerusalem each received a complete set of the My Arabic Library collection (1061 books) produced by the American publisher Scholastic Books, and a collection of 130 books from the Department of State’s Regional Book Office (RBO).  The Terra Santa School in Bethlehem also received a collection of 140 RBO books and publications.

The Department of State’s Regional Book Office publishes and distributes American books translated into Arabic.  These books help explain American culture and address some of the issues that affect both the American and Arab communities.  In addition to popular novels, RBO titles also include topics such as civil society and government, economics and business, communication and information, and the environment. 

The representatives from the U.S. Consulate General’s Public Affairs Section visited the schools to talk with students, teachers, and administrative staff,  “It is a great honor to provide children the resources that help them learn to read, and to see their excitement as a new world opens up to them.”

In addition to the books for the three schools, the families of the U.S. Consulate General donated 900 used books to the Old City Youth Association in Jerusalem.