Netanyahu’s map erasing occupied West Bank sparks widespread condemnation

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sparked widespread criticism after unveiling a map during a news briefing on Monday that conspicuously omitted the occupied West Bank.

Standing in front of a large digital map, Netanyahu’s display showed the West Bank as non-existent, raising significant concerns.

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the map, labeling it as “a blatant acknowledgment of Israel’s colonial and racist agenda.” The Ministry stressed that this act represents a serious breach of international law, particularly as Israel continues committing what they describe as war crimes against Palestinians, aimed at erasing their presence and denying their legitimate national rights.

In July 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an advisory opinion declaring Israel’s prolonged occupation of Palestinian territories as “unlawful.” The court further emphasized that Israel’s near-total segregation of people within the occupied West Bank violates international laws, specifically those related to “racial segregation” and “apartheid.”

International law prohibits the seizure or settlement of occupied territories.

Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian ambassador to the UK, criticized Netanyahu’s removal of the West Bank from the map, arguing that it is an attempt to erase the Palestinian people and seize their remaining land. He highlighted the irony of the situation, questioning what the reaction would be if a Palestinian leader took similar actions.

Assal Rad, a historian specializing in Middle Eastern history, expressed outrage on the social media platform X, stating, “The erasure of the West Bank is part of the same genocidal campaign as Gaza, a full-scale assault on Palestinian existence made possible with US support.”

The feminist grassroots organization Code Pink also voiced their concern on X, warning that “Israel aims to obliterate all of Palestine and confine Palestinians to Gaza, a shrinking concentration camp. This is an incitement to genocide. Where is the international outcry?”

Mairav Zonszein, a senior Israel analyst with the International Crisis Group, commented that “this speech will be remembered as Netanyahu’s open declaration to the world that Israel will continue to exist between the river and the sea for as long as he remains in power.”

Algeria’s national football team, Algeria FC, also weighed in, saying, “If the genocide in Gaza wasn’t clear enough, Netanyahu’s map provides further proof of Israel’s intent to completely erase Palestine.”

Journalist Rania Abouzeid noted that this was not the first instance where Netanyahu presented a map that “erases Palestinians.”

Pro-Palestinian activists and protesters often face criticism for using the slogan “from the river to the sea,” with some accusing it of being antisemitic. Journalist and filmmaker Robert Mackey remarked that Netanyahu’s map was a tangible representation of this phrase.

TV host and journalist Afshin Rattansi took to X, accusing Netanyahu of broadcasting his plans for ethnic cleansing and the destruction of Palestinian lives “from the river to the sea.” He added that despite this, the US, UK, and EU continue to support Israel while paying lip service to a two-state solution.

Marc Owen Jones, a social media analyst, author, and professor, observed that the threat of Palestinian erasure has intensified since the Abraham Accords.

At the United Nations General Assembly last September, Netanyahu presented a map depicting a “new Middle East” where the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip were shown as part of Israel.

Previously, Netanyahu had also shown a map mistakenly including Palestinian territories as part of Israel in 1948.

Israel did not control the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, or the Gaza Strip following its establishment in 1948 on 80 percent of historic Palestine. These territories were occupied by Israel in 1967, marking what is recognized as the longest occupation in modern history.

The inclusion of Palestinian lands, along with areas belonging to Syria and Lebanon, in Israeli maps is a common feature among proponents of the Eretz Yisrael concept—Greater Israel—a central tenet of ultra-nationalist Zionism that asserts these lands rightfully belong to a Zionist state.