If Israelis aren’t paranoid, they should be. Every time they turn around, someone is trying to wipe their country off the map. Literally. These stories keep on coming: Poundland is a discount chain in the United Kingdom that offered a globe for sale. So, you know, it’s important to be geographically accurate. Here is the eastern Mediterranean region:
Oops! No Israel! But there is a place called “Palestine.” Now, Israel is a tiny country, and it may be tough to fit all six letters in. On the other hand, the nonexistent country of Palestine has nine letters. So it must have been a mistake:
The globe features a key on the underside which includes a number of countries including Israel. However, we are investigating the product further with our supplier to determine if improvements could be made. We would like to thank the customer for bringing this issue to our attention.
Then there is Air France. Airlines put out maps for their passengers to peruse in flight. As of last week, Air France’s map showed Cyprus, Lebanon, the West Bank, Gaza–but no Israel. No Jerusalem or Tel Aviv, either:
Air France has now corrected the “error.” It must be strange to see your country repeatedly disappearing from the map like an Old Bolshevik from a photograph. If you are an Israeli, you can’t be paranoid enough.
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