Left I on the News

Who's wiping who off the map? This is a map of "Israel" courtesy of the Israeli Ministry of Tourism, which (hat tip Palestine Solidarity Campaign) isn't just confined to a website, but is now found all over the London Underground (and quite likely elsewhere as well) in ads promoting Israel as a tourist destination. If you look closely at this version (click to enlarge) (not at the version in the tourist ads), you'll find Gaza and (very) small parts of the West Bank in different colors (with roads mysteriously disappearing!), but there's certainly no indication of any place called "Palestine" on this map. The Golan Heights? An integral part of Israel, according to this map.

Curiously enough, on the same Israeli Ministry of Tourism website, you'll find data about the state of Israel asserting that its population is "75.6% Jews, 16.6% Muslim, 1.6% Christian and 1.6% Druze," a claim completely at odds with the "Israel" depicted on the map.

Who wants to wipe who off the map? It's already been done.

Just one more argument for the single-state solution eloquently argued for by Ali Abunimah in his essential book, One Country.

Update: I meant to write, but forgot, that this map isn't just some idle curiosity, or even just a reflection of the Israeli mindset. It also goes directly to the question of "recognizing Israel," which both Israel and the U.S. demand the Palestinians do before any negotiations can occur. Which Israel are they being asked to recognize, exactly? The one in this map? If so, there's really not much point in negotiations, is there?