From Pressed on why his Israel map doesn’t mark West Bank, PM says presentation is about Gaza
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
A reporter asks Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu why his map of Israel doesn’t include the borders of the West Bank, given that the premier earlier blasted Hamas for wanting to wipe off Israel from the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.
“I didn’t include the Dead Sea. It’s not shown on the map. I didn’t show the Jordan River. It’s not on this map. I didn’t show the Sea of Galilee,” Netanyahu responds.
“Those are geographical features. This is a population of [Palestinians] who live there,” the reporter interjects.
“I didn’t get into that. I was talking about Gaza. There is a whole issue of how to achieve peace between us and the Palestinians in Judea and Samaria. I didn’t get into that. That’s another press conference,” Netanyahu explains.
The prime minister regularly gives presentations using maps that don’t mark the West Bank, though.
“I’ll be happy to wipe out some of the misconceptions and the slanders and lies that are directed at us. We don’t intend to drive these people away. They want to drive us away,” Netanyahu adds.
Another map Netanyahu uses at the press conference does not recognize the Western Sahara as part of Morocco.
במסיבת עיתונאים לתקשורת הזרה הציג נתניהו מפה שבה ישראל לא מכירה בריבונות מרוקו על הסהרה המערבית. זאת למרות התנצלות ישראלית על כך שגם בעבר, אחרי ההכרה הישראלית בריבונות מרוקו, הוצגה מפה שכזו@gilicohen10 pic.twitter.com/otBFVOyZpY
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) September 4, 2024
Israel recognized Rabat’s sovereignty over the disputed territory last year.
Netanyahu’s office rushed to clarify that it stood by that decision after Netanyahu used a similar map during a May video statement.
