The claim that Google Maps has removed Palestine from its map has been circulating online for a long time. Recently, amid Israel’s ongoing attacks and massacres in the blockaded Gaza Strip, the claim resurfaced on social media.

Fact-check

An investigation by the Rumor Scanner team confirms that the claim titled “Google Maps has erased Palestine from its map” is not true. In fact, Google Maps never had a label for Palestine. Instead, the map consistently displays the West Bank and Gaza Strip as regional identifiers.

The renewed rumor gained traction through the circulation of a video on the internet showing a Google Maps search for “Palestine,” allegedly demonstrating its absence. However, Rumor Scanner’s inquiry reveals that Google has never used the label “Palestine” on its map. Both “Gaza Strip” and “West Bank” are labeled on Google Maps and have remained so. The absence of the term “Palestine” is due to the lack of broad international recognition of Palestine as a sovereign state, especially by countries like the United States, where Google’s headquarters is located. Because of the absence of a global consensus on the official borders of Palestine, the label does not appear on the platform.

It is worth noting that this same claim has previously spread on Facebook, and Rumor Scanner published a detailed fact-check report addressing it at that time.

Original News Source: https://rumorscanner.com/quick-fact/google-maps-did-not-have-a-label-for-palestine/145350