Nature Magazine responds

Folks, here is an encouraging reply from the editor of Nature Magazine, who responded to letters written by folks like you about Nature's interactive map of the world here, which did not designate Israel as a legitimate or sovereign country. Click here to read the background story.

Here is the reply from the editor of Nature:

Thank you for your letter, one of many we have received on this subject.

The state of Israel is clearly marked on the map you refer to, though not named. It is not referred to as Occupied Palestinian Territory.

The number 34, identified as “Occupied Palestinian Territory”, refers to the occupied territories of the West Bank, as its associated line indicates. (The status of Gaza is not addressed, because the scale does not permit it). This territory, like all the numbered and named countries and territories on the map, is represented in green, reflecting membership in the Organization
of the Islamic Conference. The map is clearly presented as a representation of the 57 countries of the OIC, of which Israel is not a member.

It is unfortunate that, due to a drafting error in the commercial template from which this graphic was developed, the border between the West Bank and Jordan is not shown on the map, and regrettable that we did not catch this error in our editorial preparation.

I apologise for this error, which I can see does to some extent raise the question of what entity on the map the number “34” refers to. We are publishing a correction and correcting the mistake in our online material. To avoid repeating the error we are revising the template too.

With this correction made, the question of what the 34 refers to becomes obvious; it can only refer to the otherwise unidentified green entity pointed to by the line from the number 34. Given that the convention of the map is that only green entities have numbers, I think the question of the point at which the indicator line ends, which has exercised some of those who have written to us, is immaterial. If it were to continue into the area representing the west Bank the effect of bisecting Israel would be unfortunate.

Some correspondents have suggested that this error is in some way connected with the fact that support for translating some articles in this issue into Arabic was provided by the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science. I can assure you that it was not, and that the Foundation had no input into the editorial content of this issue whatsoever.

Yours sincerely

Oliver Morton
Chief News and Features Editor
Nature

British science journal, "Nature", replaces Israel on map with the term "occupied Palestine"

A British science journal, Nature, on its interactive map of the world here, does not designate Israel as a legitimate or sovereign country. In fact, the word "Israel" is replaced by the term "occupied palestinian territory". This "journal" appears in many British libraries.

Refer to the web site, http://www.nature.com/news/specials/islamandscience/map/islam-map.html and roll your mouse over the geography of Israel and pay attention to the popup of the designated countries. Look closely at #34.

Please send your feedback to the editor: news@nature.com.
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Update: Nature Magazine editor responds.

Update: WMATA's response to their collusion with Jew haters and Arabists associated with the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation

Folks, here is the politcally correct (in other words, detestable) response I received from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) to my letter protesting their collusion with the Jew hating members of the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation's ad campaign which is set to infect, infest and ignite the Washington D.C. subway ridership with hatred for Israel, starting May 13, 2007:

Thank you for your recent email to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). WMATA is a public agency, and the courts have found its advertising space to be a designated public forum. Therefore, WMATA must be guided by First Amendment law with respect to the acceptance of commercial advertising. The display of the ad is consistent with WMATA¿s policy of remaining content neutral when accepting advertising. Although the Authority understands that feelings and perceptions will vary among individuals within the community, we cannot reject advertising because an individual, or group, finds it inappropriate or offensive. WMATA makes no implied or declared endorsement of any product, service, event or ideology. We simply provide the medium for an advertiser to use once the ad complies with our guidelines and the First Amendment.

As an individual, you may want to direct your objections regarding this type of advertising to the advertiser. They are in the best position to explain their point of view and possibly respond to the negative public reaction.We trust that this will assist you in understanding WMATA¿s position on the subject.

Sincerely,

Office of Customer Relations
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority

Here is my reply I sent in return:

Thank you for your reply but the First Amendment does not force the WMATA to run this mendacious and false advertisement whose singular purpose is to villify Israel. The WMATA is colluding in blatant political propaganda in a public venue supported in large part, like most such entities, by taxpayers' dollars.

Would there be no justifiable outrage against such an ad for NAMBLA or some porn website? According to your statement, the WMATA would have no problem posting ads for NAMBLA or Hustler Magazine or any pornographic business because those businesses are also protected by Freedom of Speech, so I don't buy your policy one bit. Believe me, ads have been successfully pulled from New York's MTA system for far lesser offenses, for example, in 1993, the Catholic League protested a VH-1 ad on buses that contrasted Mary, the Mother of Jesus, with the pop star, Madonna and in 1995, the MTA allowed the placement of Calvin Klein "kiddie porn" jean ads. Both ads were pulled after the league mounted a public protest.

If the WMATA truly believed in Freedom of Speech, the WMATA would post the Hamas Charter and how it calls for the destruction of Israel. But no one at the WMATA would have the courage to do that.

Too bad the WMATA has become a taxpayer's vehicle to promote Jewicide. The WMATA has brought the conflict in the Middle East to a new low.

My letter to WMATA, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, for partnering with US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation

In reference to WMATA's state-sponsored collusion with the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation poster campaign starting May 13, 2007:
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I am outraged that even as Israel completes its evacuation of more than 20 "settlements" in the Gaza Strip, Arabs still make the argument that Gaza remains "occupied" territory, even though Palestinians exercise self-government and the Israeli civilian and military presence in these disputed territories have been removed. Now, WMATA is gullible enough to let the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation post 20 posters of anti-Israel propaganda denying those aforementioned facts.

The US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, like many other anti-Israel organizations, thrive on the intentional use of false data in order to sway world opinion against Israel.

The basic premise of the Palestinian claim - that the 'occupation' causes terrorism -is historically flawed. Arab and Palestinian terrorism against Israel existed prior to the beginning of Israeli control over the West Bank and Gaza as a result of the Six Day War of June 1967, and even prior to the establishment of the State of Israel in May 1948.

That WMATA is willing to single out Israel as being uniquely evil, and worthy of measures that are not contemplated against anyone else, is intellectually disreputable.

Will the WMATA also slap up posters whcih boycott China, where there are hundreds of political prisoners? Will WMATA pick on North Korea, a totalitarian state in which millions of people have been deprived of the bare necessities of life? Will WMATA also allow indignation against Saudi Arabia, an autocratic state where women do not enjoy rights that are taken for granted in Israel?

The WMATA has been sold a bill of goods, of propaganda, and as a municipality, the WMATA should slap up posters with an opposing viewpoint.

Now THAT would be real Freedom of Speech.

Shame on WMATA and it allowing itself to be manipulated by Arabists.