Microsoft has updated its digital mapping services to include Palestinian place names and remove ‘misleading’ Israeli designations in the occupied West Bank. According to a statement from the Arab Centre for the Advancement of Social Media (7amleh), the revisions affect several location-based tools, including Bing search engine.
Previously, labels identified West Bank locations as “Judea and Samaria, Israel,” but these have now been replaced with “West Bank.” The term “Judea and Samaria” is an Israeli administrative designation for the occupied West Bank. However, under international law, this territory – including East Jerusalem – is considered occupied Palestinian land and part of a future Palestinian state.
7amleh described the update as a ‘necessary correction,’ with advocacy manager Lama Nazeeh urging technology companies to comply with international law and avoid contributing to what she called the ‘digital erasure of Palestinian geography.’ A check of Bing maps showed that Microsoft has indeed adopted “West Bank” as the label for the territory. The company has not yet issued an official statement on the change.
The update comes amid broader scrutiny of how global technology firms present geographic data in conflict zones, particularly in relation to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.