Encyclopedia Britannica has taken down a disputed map from its Britannica Kids platform after criticism that it labeled the entire area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea as “Palestine,” without referencing Israel. The move followed objections raised by the pro-Israel legal advocacy group UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) and questions from The Telegraph, which reported concerns that the map effectively denied Israel’s existence and mirrored the slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
The map had appeared alongside text defining “Palestine” as the territory stretching from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean. Critics said the presentation closely tracked language commonly used by pro-Palestinian activists and groups such as Hamas. In a letter to Britannica’s publishers, UKLFI argued that the framing advanced a contemporary political narrative and erased the presence of the State of Israel from the same geographic space.
Public attention to the issue began in November 2024, when London-based Jewish children’s author Shari Black contacted Britannica directly to raise concerns. She said she was taken aback by what she viewed as historical inaccuracies in educational material for children, adding that the content appeared to promote an agenda aimed at delegitimizing Israel, despite its establishment through international agreement.
UKLFI also challenged Britannica Kids’ broader historical use of the term “Palestine” as a label extending back thousands of years. The group noted that historians generally trace the name to Roman Emperor Hadrian, who applied it to the region in 135 CE following the Bar Kokhba revolt, replacing the name Judea in an effort to weaken Jewish identification with the land.
Responding to the complaints, Britannica editor-in-chief Theodore Pappas said the company would examine UKLFI’s claims and make changes where appropriate.
UKLFI Director Caroline Turner said that applying the label “Palestine” retroactively across the region’s history misrepresents historical developments and falsely suggests an unbroken continuity that does not reflect the record.
Following The Telegraph’s inquiry, Britannica removed the map and updated the entry to clarify the present-day reality, stating: “Today the State of Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip are located within this area.”
{Matzav.com}
