Amid tensions over the recognition of a Palestinian state by several countries at the UN General Assembly this week, Israelis were outraged after official government websites listed Jerusalem consulates as residing in “Palestine.”
The British Consulate General in Jerusalem listed its address as being in “East Jerusalem, Palestine,” but by late Tuesday, that address had been removed from the website.
Instead of using the terminology “Occupied Palestinian Territories,” the UK government appears to be updating its platforms to use the term “Palestine,” but the process is not yet complete.
A mistake by the EU?
While a page of foreign travel advice was updated with the new name on Sunday, a drop-down menu on the same page still uses the old nomenclature.
The European Union’s consular protection website temporarily stated that the Consulate General of France in Jerusalem was located in “Palestine.” Regardless, the French diplomatic mission to Israel has noted that this was a mistake by the EU and not a decision made by Paris. The change was later corrected at the behest of the French embassy in Israel.
Another issue appeared on the Global Affairs Canada travel advice page, listing the Canadian embassy in Tel Aviv as having an address in both Israel and “Palestine,” according to Toronto Sun reporter Bryan Passifiume.
Canadian MP Anthony Housefather told Passifiume that he would speak to Global Affairs about the issue, which was corrected by Wednesday.