Google Recognizes Palestine

[oberliner]

With one small gesture, Google has made a big statement.

On Thursday the Palestine News Network reported that Google.ps changed its title from "The Palestinian Territories" to "Palestine."

As Foreign Policy noted, this news comes less than a year after the United Nations first officially recognized the state of Palestine.

"We’re changing the name ‘Palestinian Territories’ to ‘Palestine’ across our products." Google spokesperson Nathan Tyler told The Huffington Post. "We consult a number of sources and authorities when naming countries. In this case, we are following the lead of the UN, ICANN, ISO and other international organizations,”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/02/google-palestine_n_3203363.html?utm_hp_ref=technology

[azurnoir]

1. good n/t

[Jefferson23]

2. Can I second that good...very good, actually. n/t

[bravenak]

3. Very awesome. nt

[Mosby]

4. Google Earth doesn't recognize "Palestine"

Of course you can't really lie with maps because then you lose all credibility.

[azurnoir]

6. you can thank former Arizona Senator Jon Kyl for that

remember him, the guy who hosted Geert Wilders?

That’s because, in 1997, Congress passed the National Defense Authorization Act, one section of which is titled, “Prohibition on collection and release of detailed satellite imagery relating to Israel.” The amendment, known as the Kyl-Bingaman Amendment, calls for a federal agency, the NOAA’s Commercial Remote Sensing Regulatory Affairs, to regulate the dissemination of zoomed-in images of Israel.

When asked about the regulation, a Google spokeswoman said to Mother Jones, “The images in Google Earth are sourced from a wide range of both commercial and public sources. We source our satellite imagery from US-based companies who are subject to US law, including the Kyl-Bingaman Amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act of 1997, which limits the resolution of imagery of Israel that may be commercially distributed.”

And it’s not just Israel. The regulation also applies to the occupied territories. It’s why Human Rights Watch can’t provide detailed imagery of the Gaza Strip in its reports. Of course, this regulation cuts both ways; one also cannot see the destruction in Sderot resulting from rockets sent out of Gaza.

http://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/2011/06/15/why-google-earth-cant-show-you-israel/

[Eugene]

5. Israel says Google's 'Palestine' page harms peace hopes

Source: Reuters

Israel says Google's 'Palestine' page harms peace hopes

By Dan Williams
JERUSALEM | Mon May 6, 2013 7:01am EDT

(Reuters) - A senior Israeli official accused Google on Monday of setting back Middle East peace hopes by putting the name "Palestine" under the banner of its search page for the Palestinian territories. (www.google.ps)

Palestinians hailed Google's move as a virtual victory on the long path to the state they seek in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip, which Israel seized in the 1967 war.

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"I think that the Google decision from the last few days is very, very problematic," said Deputy Israeli Foreign Minister Zeev Elkin, a confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"When a company like Google comes along and supports this line, it actually pushes peace further away, pushes away negotiations, and creates among the Palestinian leadership the illusion that in this manner they can achieve the result," he told Israel's Army Radio.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/06/us-palestinians-israel-google-idUSBRE94509V20130506