Google is Changing the Palestinian Face on the Internet.
This move comes after a UN decision last year upgrading the Palestinians’ status to “non-member observer state.”
Google is de facto recognizing a state of Palestine — at least on its local homepage in the Palestinian territories.
Google spokesman Nathan Tyler said Friday “We’re changing the name ‘Palestinian territories’ to ‘Palestine’ across our products.”
He said Google consults with a number of sources and authorities when naming countries and is following the lead of several international organizations.
The move comes after a UN decision last year upgrading the Palestinians’ status to “non-member observer state.”
Israel says Palestinian statehood should be reached through negotiations, not unilateral moves.
Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said “Google is not a diplomatic entity which begs the question why are they getting involved in international politics and on the controversial side.”
Google’s domain for Palestinian territories www.google.ps now lists the location as “Palestine.”
Printed in TheStar.com World News by Associated Press