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Last update - 21:56 22/05/2009
Controversial Israeli tourism poster pulled from London Tube
By The Associated Press
Tags: london, tourism, israel

An Israeli tourism poster is being pulled from the London subway after the Syrian Embassy complained that the map on it appeared to show the
Golan Heights and Palestinian territories within Israel's boundaries, officials said Friday.

Britain's Advertising Standards Authority received more than 300 complaints about the ad, a promotion for the Israeli Red Sea resort town of Eilat, according to the agency's spokesman Matt Wilson.
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The Syrian Embassy and pro-Palestinian groups complained about it because the featured map appeared to show the territories Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war - the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights - within the borders of Israel, according to the Israeli Tourism Ministry and the British standards authority.

Syrian Embassy spokesman Jihad Makdissi said the move follows days of lobbying to get rid of the ad, which he called offensive. Although Israel pulled out of Gaza in 2005, Israel maintains a tight blockade on the narrow strip of land and remains in the West Bank.

Israel's hold on the Golan Heights - a strategic plateau captured from Syria - is a particularly sensitive issue for Syrians. Damascus has said it will not make peace with Israel until the land is returned.

Israeli Tourism Ministry spokeswoman Shira Kazeh said the decision was made to pull the poster earlier than planned because "we don't mix politics and tourism."

Transport for London confirmed that the posters were being taken down, but referred further questions to CBS Outdoor Ltd., which manages advertisements on the London Underground railway.

A message left with CBS Outdoor was not immediately answered. A call placed with the Israeli Embassy in London was not immediately returned.

The sensitive politics of Middle Eastern mapmaking have posed problems for U.K. companies in the past. Last month British airline BMI apologized for excluding Israel from its electronic in-flight map.

Israeli media had reported that on BMI's London-Tel Aviv flights, Israel and most of its cities were not marked. Only Haifa was identified - by its Arab name, Khefa.

BMI explained that the plane had been acquired from a defunct airline that flew to several Arab countries.

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      1.   SO WHAT - Getting your own medicine back 19:40  |  Michael 22/05/09
      2.   Pulling the Posters 19:43  |  Michael 22/05/09
      3.   Khefa? The Arab name is Haifa: HAY-FA! 19:48  |  Sammy 22/05/09
      4.   Why use a map? 20:12  |  Erin Tas 22/05/09
      5.   just like gambling 20:37  |  David R. 22/05/09
      6.   Not a single map in any of the Arab countries 20:55  |  ChanahS 22/05/09
      7.   # 1 david and gambling 21:05  |  Axel 22/05/09
      8.   Davis R. 21:27  |  JD 22/05/09
      9.   for David R 21:35  |  Welshman 22/05/09
      10.   Falklands are offensive 21:38  |  Feres 22/05/09
      11.   Gambling? 21:40  |  Niels Levi 22/05/09
      12.   Well..Guess who rules London? 21:48  |  Daniel 22/05/09
      13.   To victor goes the spoils, suck it up 21:51  |  Kyle 22/05/09
      14.   Khefa to Londonstan. BMI, LOL 21:58  |  Stephen. 22/05/09
      15.   And where is Israel on Arab maps? 22:03  |  Zvi 22/05/09
      16.   Cartographic Problems 22:28  |  Jeff Northridge 22/05/09
      17.   poor choice of imagery 22:28  |  zvi 22/05/09
      18.   feres 2 22:34  |  potobac 22/05/09
      19.   Maps 22:38  |  yuval 22/05/09
      20.   Israel on the map 22:40  |  Cyasher 22/05/09
      21.   Syria: You know why the Golan ... 23:00  |  Jasper 22/05/09
      22.   I complained 23:04  |  Dr. No 22/05/09
      23.   Feres, British people are working in your oil fields? 23:14  |  Jew-and Bookburner 22/05/09
      24.   # 2 feres 23:24  |  Axel 22/05/09
      25.   This is intentional 23:35  |  Axel 22/05/09
      26.   No Complain from Syria about Turkish accupation 23:37  |  Abuya 22/05/09
      27.   maps 23:40  |  agokoy 22/05/09
      28.   perhaps... 23:44  |  AGorgal 22/05/09
      29.   What a cheek, to include ILLEGAL OCCUPATION of Arab TERRITORIES. 23:51  |  Moez 22/05/09
      30.   Syria whinnie-poohs 23:53  |  D.C. Beloved 22/05/09
      31.   Hebrew Haifa; Heifa turned into Latin Cayphas 00:02  |  Gil 23/05/09
      32.   Hebrew Haifa; Heifa turned into Latin Cayphas 00:03  |  Gil 23/05/09
      33.   Unbelieveable chutzpah 00:12  |  Arnold 23/05/09
      34.   Poster Child 00:33  |  Jasper 23/05/09
      35.   moez 00:43  |  Michelle 23/05/09
      36.   lets pretend:everybody happy 00:44  |  ron 23/05/09
      37.   Axel wird Krank. 00:46  |  roland 23/05/09
      38.   maps and respect 00:54  |  bronxite10 23/05/09
      39.   Moez 01:07  |  Arnold 23/05/09
      40.   # 13 arnold 01:15  |  Axel 23/05/09
      41.   This is right according to the original British Mandate. Israel 01:16  |  ks 23/05/09
      42.   This is an old, ongoing practice in Israel & among Palestinians. 01:19  |  Fortuna Benmayor 23/05/09
      43.   The poster is not "controversial" 01:26  |  Axel 23/05/09
      44.   NOT GREATER ISRAEL ?? 01:41  |  Bill 23/05/09
      45.   why not, it`s all theirs now 01:42  |  gordon 23/05/09
      46.   # 15 michelle 01:57  |  Axel 23/05/09
      47.   Agorgal speaking of Imperialism 01:57  |  Gil 23/05/09
      48.   You would be surprised, Axel 02:00  |  kibush.co.il 23/05/09
      49.   #21 That is simply untrue, ks 02:05  |  Johnboy 23/05/09
      50.   # 22 fortuna 02:10  |  Axel 23/05/09
      51.   Axel 26 02:25  |  ChanahS 23/05/09
      52.   Seems that China + occupied Tibet is not controversial 02:31  |  Dan 23/05/09
      53.   Seems that France+ occupied Tahiti is not controversial 02:32  |  Dan 23/05/09
      54.   All maps in Arab countries call the Persian Gulf Arabic Gulf 02:32  |  kia 23/05/09
      55.   Seems that UK + occupied Flakland is not conroversial 02:32  |  Dan 23/05/09
      56.   Seems that Spain + occupied Morocan coast is not controversial 02:33  |  Dan 23/05/09
      57.   And a good thing too... 02:33  |  Silvienne 23/05/09
      58.   Seems that Russia + occupied Chechnia is not controversial 02:34  |  Dan 23/05/09
      59.   Axel #2 - BINGO! AND THAT IS EXACTLY THE PROBLEM 02:35  |  Dan 23/05/09
      60.   #25, Gordon has a good point... 02:36  |  Silvienne 23/05/09
      61.   If you attack should live with the consequences of you agression 02:37  |  Dan 23/05/09
      62.   Agression has consequences Duhhhhh 02:38  |  Dan 23/05/09
      63.   Hey Jiahdi 6, you can`t have it both ways 02:41  |  Dan 23/05/09
      64.   # 21 ks 02:46  |  Axel 23/05/09
      65.   "Khefa" is not its Arabic name 02:53  |  Tarik 23/05/09
      66.   # 41 dan 02:56  |  Axel 23/05/09
      67.   Mighty effort, dan 03:03  |  Axel 23/05/09
      68.   Question for Bill #32 03:50  |  gly 23/05/09
      69.   Zip It 03:51  |  Angela 23/05/09
      70.   gly 04:46  |  Jasper 23/05/09
      71.   Freedom in the New UK 05:09  |  Mark 23/05/09
      72.   Mark: Good Points 05:52  |  Jasper 23/05/09
      73.   good ole union jack!! brave till the end 05:53  |  Mark 23/05/09
      74.   This is stupid 05:54  |  Tania 23/05/09
      75.   Silvienne 06:00  |  Jasper 23/05/09
      76.   to #70 Jasper 09:35  |  gly 23/05/09
      77.   Not every dog`s bark needs to be in the news ! 09:47  |  Akram Zekaria 23/05/09
      78.   gly 76 - nothing special about 10:13  |  ChanahS 23/05/09
      79.   TO #1SO WHAT - Getting your own medicine back 11:18  |  cesare 23/05/09
      80.   Gly (#68) Dear Gly 12:03  |  Gil 23/05/09
      81.   Gly (#76) And the European Jews 12:05  |  Gil 23/05/09
      82.   What to say? 12:44  |  Enrico 23/05/09
      83.   Gly (#68) Dear Gly 13:08  |  Gil 23/05/09
      84.   Gly (#76) O the European Jews 13:09  |  Gil 23/05/09
      85.   Usual "facts on the ground" attempt. 13:39  |  Palestinian Brit 23/05/09
      86.   #61 Food for thought indeed, Dan 15:35  |  Johnboy 23/05/09
      87.   Dan 22:10  |  Mike from Boston 22/06/09
      88.   Come to Israel and see racism and apartheid up close! 04:15  |  peacelover 12/08/09
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