LONDON, England – Britain’s Advertising Standards Authority has censured the Palestinian Diplomatic Mission to the UK for carrying a map of Palestine that did not identify Israel, UK media reported Wednesday.
Headlined “Discover Palestine” as part of a promotion for tourism, the map showed the West Bank and Gaza Strip along with Israel, according to the report on the media blog of the Guardian.
A visitor “would infer from the map and the linked information that the total area represented by the map was the Occupied Palestinian Territories,” the ASA was quoted as saying.
“Because this was not the case we concluded that the website was misleading.”
The ASA also found that the map misled potential travelers by failing to inform them of security arrangements and traveling restrictions for Hebron and permits required to enter Bethlehem.
The map was amended after the ASA contacted the Palestinian mission, the report said. The mission says the map reflected the historic map of Palestine before Israel’s establishment in 1948.
On Thursday, the Palestinian mission called the determination disappointing and said diplomats were seeking legal advice. “The issue will be dealt with legally,” a spokesman said.
