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Last update - 18:19 17/03/2008
Facebook face-off: Settlers win right to list country as Israel, not Palestine
By Reuters
Tags: Israel, Palestine, Facebook 

Complaints by Israeli settlers angry at Facebook for listing them as residents of "Palestine" prompted the popular social networking Web
site to allow users to switch their location back to Israel.

Facebook users living in Maaleh Adumim, Ariel and other large settlements in the West Bank protested when the site automatically listed their hometowns as being in "Palestine".
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A group of settlers accused the California-based company of having a political agenda.

"I was surprised and disappointed to find that my hometown of Ariel is listed in Facebook as being part of a country called 'Palestine,'" wrote Ari Zimmerman in a posting on Facebook. "I am a citizen of Israel, as are all of the other residents of Ariel. We do not live in 'Palestine', nor does anyone else."

Brandee Barker, Facebook's director of communications, said users living in major settlement blocs can now choose between being listed as residents of Israel or Palestine.

"Facebook users in the Israeli West Bank settlements of Maale Adumim, Beitar Illit, and Ariel can now choose between Israel and Palestine," Barker said last week in an email to Reuters.

Israel wants to hold onto Maale Adumim and other major settlement blocs under any future peace deal with the Palestinians

"We also offer Hebron in both Israel and Palestine," Barker said, referring to the major West Bank city which is home to about 150,000 Palestinians and some 400 Israelis.

Barker said about 18 West Bank settlements were currently listed on Facebook and that many more would be added in the future, giving users the option of choosing Israel or Palestine.

In a posting on a Facebook page used by settlers, Channah Lerman wrote: "Be aware! Should you restore the cities of Judea, Samaria (the West Bank) ... people will get more enraged than they are already. Palestine is not a country."

Palestinian users have set up their own Facebook group whose members threatened to cancel their accounts if Palestine was removed from the site. Called "If Palestine is removed from Facebook, I am closing my account," the group has over 4,700 members.

"We created this group to let our voices be heard not only among Facebook's management but all the users, and to tell everyone that Palestine is and will always be a country," Saif Qadoumi, the group's 20-year-old founder, told Reuters.

Sara Al, a group member, urged users in one entry to join a group called "It's not Israel, It's Palestine," saying it was a response to another group set up by Israeli users advocating the opposite message.

"Please join to beat another group called 'It's not Palestine, it's Israel' which has 13,000 members," she wrote.

Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Six Day War and annexed East Jerusalem in a move that has not won international recognition. It regards all of Jerusalem as its capital.

Facebook, for its part, identifies Jerusalem as part of Israel. Palestinians want East Jerusalem to be the capital of the state they aspire to establish in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

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      1.   It`s not Israel or Palestine - their home is America 18:30  |  Chanalau, Tova 17/03/08
      2.   NO SURPRISE ON DECISION. FACEBOOK IS A JEWISH OWNED COMPANY 18:35  |  JACKAL 17/03/08
      3.   Maaleh Adumim and the rest is NOT Israel 18:37  |  John 17/03/08
      4.   Yes, most settler thugs are American 18:45  |  David 17/03/08
      5.   the truth is.. 18:47  |  me 17/03/08
      6.   All settlements are illegal! 18:48  |  lakshmi 17/03/08
      7.   Why not Westbank? 18:52  |  Axel 17/03/08
      8.   Jordan is Arab Palestine. West of the Jordan is Israel 18:54  |  David 17/03/08
      9.   #3, John, will you return Hebron, Shechem, and other to Israel? 18:57  |  David 17/03/08
      10.   #5. trith os never was a Palestine, state or Arab people 19:00  |  David 17/03/08
      11.   #6 BS - theres no such thing as "settlements" 19:01  |  pace306 17/03/08
      12.   Palestine is not a country 19:04  |  B 17/03/08
      13.   Is it Israel or Palestine 19:07  |  FM 17/03/08
      14.   #5 and #11 19:10  |  FM 17/03/08
      15.   Racist-Terrorist settlers go back home to Europe 19:11  |  anti-racist 17/03/08
      16.   Israel, the homeland of Am Yisroel. 19:12  |  Wise Saba 17/03/08
      17.   Facebook Palestine 19:13  |  Barrie 17/03/08
      18.   There`s No Country Called "Palestine" 19:18  |  Yishai Kohen 17/03/08
      19.   Chanalau - again, no perspective; see "Tibet" & "Darfur" 19:21  |  ZISD 17/03/08
      20.   palace-stein 19:24  |  henry 17/03/08
      21.   West Bank equals Palestine 19:25  |  Aaron 17/03/08
      22.   to Lakshmi 19:30  |  literate 17/03/08
      23.   Facebook bows to Zionist Pressure 19:39  |  fred 17/03/08
      24.   #21 19:44  |  Wise Saba 17/03/08
      25.   #21 19:49  |  Wise Saba 17/03/08
      26.   TO Yishai Kohen #18 19:53  |  Steve Beikirch 17/03/08
      27.   Palestine Does Not Exist -- And Probably Never Will 20:01  |  Mohammed 17/03/08
      28.   How about Tibetian Facebook-users? 20:04  |  Mark B. 17/03/08
      29.   To #26, soon, soon; careful though, you may choke! 20:12  |  Romano 17/03/08
      30.   Steve #26 20:16  |  Yishai Kohen 17/03/08
      31.   Interesting to find out if KURDISTAN listed as separate country 20:22  |  Genuine Tosefta 17/03/08
      32.   Typical Zionist tactic 20:27  |  raden 17/03/08
      33.   Maale Adumim residents will be able to keep their Facebook...... 20:31  |  Swiss (Dino) 17/03/08
      34.   #17 Facebook Palestine 20:40  |  Hatem 17/03/08
      35.   My children are Stateless ! 20:58  |  Frank C. 17/03/08
      36.   # 31 genuine tosefta 21:15  |  Axel 17/03/08
      37.   # 16 "wise" saba 21:19  |  Axel 17/03/08
      38.   how dare you 21:23  |  Friend of Israel 17/03/08
      39.   Hatem 34,to Barrie 17 ;the hebrews were late comers to the region 21:49  |  lakshmi 17/03/08
      40.   22.literate, he cites Theodor Gershon as stating that settlements 21:59  |  lakshmi 17/03/08
      41.   You should rethink this, facebook 22:10  |  newageblues 17/03/08
      42.   As it should be.... 22:33  |  Jordan 17/03/08
      43.   thank you Hatem # 17 22:47  |  marko 17/03/08
      44.   So what`s the difference? 23:03  |  Maureen Ann 17/03/08
      45.   #14 how long hasnt been in existance? 23:06  |  pace306 17/03/08
      46.   Is there a UN country called Palestine? NO 23:12  |  Ben 17/03/08
      47.   # 36 jordan Since there is no country called "palestine"... 23:22  |  Axel 17/03/08
      48.   #3 23:26  |  Jane 17/03/08
      49.   #15 23:28  |  Jane 17/03/08
      50.   4,700 accounts, yes. But not members! 23:35  |  Facebook 17/03/08
      51.   newageblues,God Bless the land thieves 23:35  |  Steve 17/03/08
      52.   They`re not settlers, they`re CITIZENS 23:38  |  ben 17/03/08
      53.   My country 23:56  |  Lebanese Citizen 17/03/08
      54.   #40, #41 23:58  |  johanna 17/03/08
      55.   # 42 ben 00:01  |  Axel 18/03/08
      56.   #42 00:02  |  johanna 18/03/08
      57.   # 37 ben 00:08  |  Axel 18/03/08
      58.   Quick, call the whaaaaaamulance! 00:36  |  Gili 18/03/08
      59.   @johanna kid: Don`t ignore statistics & Facebook infos! 01:53  |  Facebook 18/03/08
      60.   Settler greed is suicide for Zionism 02:04  |  peacelover 18/03/08
      61.   JACKAL, er JACKASS 02:26  |  Brant 18/03/08
      62.   Number 8 - David 03:33  |  Shlomo Patel 18/03/08
      63.   Johanna`s Search For Facts Not Judgment Ends 03:36  |  Tex 18/03/08
      64.   No Surprise From Jackal. He`s a Jackass. 03:37  |  Tex 18/03/08
      65.   #42 ben - I thought that Jews were "NATIONALS" and 05:04  |  PADDY 18/03/08
      66.   Scrap the Name Palestine? 05:49  |  Denise 18/03/08
      67.   God Given 05:53  |  Genesis 18/03/08
      68.   #32 settlers? call em squaters 05:58  |  Denise 18/03/08
      69.   #19 ZISD 06:10  |  Courcey 18/03/08
      70.   #30 Yishai Cohen 06:16  |  Courcey 18/03/08
      71.   TO Yishai Kohen #30 07:19  |  Steve Beikirch 18/03/08
      72.