For months, publishing giant HarperCollins has been selling an atlas that was “developed specifically for schools in the Middle East.” The map looked to be perfectly accurate, except for one glaring omission – the name of Israel was conspicuously absent. This wasn’t a mistake or an oversight. Israel was purposely left off because of “local preferences.” Collins Bartholomew, a subsidiary of HarperCollins that specializes in maps, said that it would have been “unacceptable” to include Israel in atlases intended for the Middle East.
After being exposed by the media, Harper Collins apologized on its official Facebook page, stating: “HarperCollins regrets the omission of the name Israel from their Collins Middle East Atlas. This product has now been removed from sale in all territories and all remaining stock will be pulped. HarperCollins sincerely apologises for this omission and for any offence caused.”
