Israel Website Shows Jammu and Kashmir in Pakistan, Takes it Down
NEW DELHI, Oct 4: Israel has taken down a map of India that incorrectly depicted Jammu and Kashmir in Pakistan, the Israeli ambassador to India said on Friday.
The ‘error’ was due to a ‘mistake’ by the editor of the website where the map was displayed, Reuven Azar, the envoy stated. “Website editor’s mistake. Thank you for noticing. Was taken down,” Azar posted on X in response to the user who was the first to flag the issue.
“India stands with Israel. But does Israel stand with India? Note the map of India (pay attention to Jammu & Kashmir) on Israel’s official website embassies,” the user, Abhijit Chavda, posted on the microblogging platform. India has always maintained that the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir is an ‘integral’ and ‘inalienable’ part of the country.
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In June 2021, then Twitter – it is now called X – had also run into trouble over a map that showed the Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, as a separate country. In February 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO), too, depicted Jammu and Kashmir incorrectly, prompting India to take up the matter with the global health body.
Recently, diplomats from 16 foreign missions travelled to Jammu and Kashmir to witness the phase 2 voting (September 25) of assembly elections in the Union territory. While the polling for the first phase was held on September 18, the voting for the third and final leg was conducted on October 1. The counting of votes is scheduled for October 8.
Israel currently is embroiled in a conflict with Iran and Hezbollah, the Lebanon-based militant group backed by Iran. In recent days, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) have eliminated several top members of both Hezbollah and Hamas, another militant group backed by Iran and one that administers the Gaza Strip.
(Manas Dasgupta)
