The Encyclopedia Britannica has removed a controversial map from its Britannica Kids section that labeled the entire territory between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea as "Palestine," with no mention of Israel. The change followed complaints from the pro-Israel group UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) and an inquiry by The Telegraph, which highlighted concerns that the depiction erased Israel's existence and echoed the politically charged slogan "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free."
The original map, accompanied by a caption describing "Palestine" as the region between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, drew criticism for aligning with rhetoric used by pro-Palestinian activists and groups like Hamas. UKLFI argued in a letter to Britannica's publishers that this framing promoted a modern political agenda and effectively denied the State of Israel's presence in the same geographic area.
The controversy first gained attention in November 2024 when London-based Jewish children's book author Shari Black flagged the issue directly to Britannica. She expressed surprise at what she called historical inaccuracies in content aimed at children, saying it appeared to push an agenda of delegitimizing Israel-despite the country's establishment through international consensus.
UKLFI further criticized Britannica Kids' broader historical references to "Palestine" as a term extending thousands of years back, noting that historians trace its use to Roman Emperor Hadrian in 135 CE, who applied it to the region (formerly Judea) after the Bar Kokhba revolt to diminish Jewish identity.
Britannica's editor-in-chief, Theodore Pappas, responded to the concerns by saying the company would review the claims from UKLFI and make adjustments if necessary.
UKLFI Director Caroline Turner emphasized that retroactively applying the "Palestine" label across the region's history distorts historical developments and creates a misleading sense of continuity.
After The Telegraph's inquiry, Britannica removed the map and revised the entry to state: "Today the State of Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip are located within this area."