Israel queries Google over Palestine page

Occupied Jerusalem: Israel on Friday questioned internet giant Google’s decision to replace the term ‘Palestinian Territories’ with ‘Palestine’ on the Palestinian www.google.ps page, after last year’s United Nations decision to award Palestine observer status.

“This change raises questions about the reasons behind this surprising involvement of what is basically a private internet company in international politics — and on the controversial side,” Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor told AFP.

The change went into effect from May 1, Google spokesperson Nathan Tyler said in a statement.

“We’re changing the name ‘Palestinian Territories’ to ‘Palestine’ across our products. We consult a number of sources and authorities when naming countries. In this case, we are following the lead of the UN ... and other international organisations,” Tyler said.

The UN General Assembly in November upgraded Palestine to the status of non-member observer state by a vote of 138 votes in favour, 9 against and 41 abstentions.

The Palestinian National Authority has since begun to use the ‘State of Palestine’ in diplomatic correspondence and issued official stamps for the purpose.