The Egged bus company launched a new travel app this week, allowing users to load and validate travel cards in a move digitally-marking the company’s first entry into the app market.
However, a review conducted by the human rights organization B’Tsalmo revealed that the app labels areas in Judea and Samaria as the “West Bank.”
In response, the organization’s CEO, Shai Glick, sent a letter to the company Monday morning demanding that the terminology be corrected.
Glick praised the company’s new digital initiative but stated that “the use of the term ‘West Bank’ instead of ‘Judea and Samaria’ is a fundamental error, both historically and in terms of public sentiment.” He added that most Israeli citizens view communities such as Shiloh, Beit El, and Hebron as inseparable from the State’s historical identity.
The letter emphasized that the term “Judea and Samaria” is recognized in Israeli legislation and has gained traction in updated international discourse, including in the United States. Glick also cited a directive by incoming Shin Bet (ISA) chief David Zini, who ordered that the official terminology used by his organization be “Judea and Samaria.”
He further noted that Egged has operated in these areas for decades, supporting residents even during times of crisis and paying a price in terror attacks, including the deadly attack in the city of Emanuel.
Egged did not respond to the report.
HopOn, the app’s developer, stated: “The maps in the app are based on Google Maps services and are not created or maintained by us. The region names appear as defined in global systems. Our goal is to provide users with accurate and up-to-date for navigation and location purposes only.”