Microsoft Updates Maps to Reflect Palestinian Place Names in West Bank
The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media (7amleh) said in a statement that the changes affect location-based services, including the Bing search engine. It said labels that previously referred to West Bank locations as “Judea and Samaria, Israel” have now been replaced with “West Bank.”
The term “Judea and Samaria” is used by Israel to refer to the occupied West Bank. However, under international law, the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is widely regarded as occupied Palestinian territory and considered a central part of a future Palestinian state.
According to 7amleh, the changes amount to a “necessary correction,” with its advocacy manager Lama Nazeeh urging technology companies to align their practices with international law and avoid what she described as the “digital erasure of Palestinian geography.”
A review cited in reports indicated that Bing maps now display “West Bank” when referring to the territory.
No official statement from Microsoft confirming or detailing the reported updates was immediately available, according to reports.
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