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>- Yes, see how they took a position on the heart of this issue — the occupied territories themselves. They literally erased Palestine from the map. The US gov
by slg 5y ago
>- Yes, see how they took a position on the heart of this issue — the occupied territories themselves. They literally erased Palestine from the map.
The US government doesn't recognize Palestine. Therefore displaying the occupied territories as a distinct state would be the more politicalized option compared with displaying them as they currently do. Either way, it just goes to show that the idea of a company being apolitical becomes more difficult as it grows and eventually becomes impossible when you reach Google's size. There is no potential choice here that isn't going to be viewed politically.
- nashashmi 5y agoThe UN recognizes Palestine as do many other countries. The US was motivated not to recognize it because of the Israeli diaspora in America.
- bostonvaulter2 5y agoThe list of states that recognize Palestine was very surprising to me. Basically it seems like only the "first-world" nations that do not recognize Palestine: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_recognition_of_the_State_of_Palestine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_recognition_of_t...
- sien 5y agoThanks for that link. It's remarkable.
- DSingularity 5y agoIe the colonizing powers of this planet
- slg 5y agoThe reasoning behind the government's decision is irrelevant here. Google is a company headquartered in the US. Going against the official policy of the US government is a more politicalized move than going with the status quo. Side note, you should be careful using Israeli and Jewish as interchangeable terms. There is no such thing as an "Israeli diaspora".
- whatshisface 5y ago>Going against the official policy of the US government is a more politicalized move than going with the status quo. How can this be when the policy of the US government is itself determined by politics in its original, non-metaphorical form?
- slg 5y agoI don't understand what you are getting at. If the US recognized Palestine that would also be a policy "determined by politics in its original, non-metaphorical form". There is no apolitical answer to the question of whether to recognize Palestine as a sovereign state.
- whatshisface 5y agoIf there's no apolitical answer, then going with the status quo isn't an apolitical answer.
- slg 5y agoIt seems like you agree with me but are framing your comments as if you disagree. In my first comment I said: >There is no potential choice here that isn't going to be viewed politically. Maybe the two negatives in that sentence are throwing people off, but I can rephrase it to say "There is no apolitical choice here." However any choice that goes against the status quo is going to be perceived as more political than a choice that accepts the status quo. That is just a general statement and isn't specific to the debate about recognition of Palestine.
- nashashmi 5y agoJews and Israeli are distinct. Maybe diaspora is incorrect word, but those who call Israel their home country and reside in the US are of the diaspora of Israel. Google has headquarters in many countries including Israel. They use various Sources to create maps. And some happen to show Palestine as a separate country. Using one source over another is not a politicized move. But since the recognition of Palestine is recent, ignoring a UN resolution is politicized, more than following an archaic policy of a home country.
- betterunix2 5y agoThe United States worked with Israel for years, and has continued to some degree even now, to establish a legitimate and functional Palestinian state. The reason the US does not recognize Palestine is that right now there is not a fully formed Palestinian government. The PA never fully exerted its influence or enforced its own laws in the West Bank and has completely lost control of Gaza to a terrorist organization. I know it does not neatly fit your narrative about a Jewish conspiracy in America ("Israeli diaspora?" really?), but US support is one of the reasons there is any Palestinian self-governance at all, limited as it may be.
- nashashmi 5y agoConspiracy? None whatsoever. Support for Israel is public and apparent even from politicians and lobbyists. This has guided US votes and vetoes in the UN. This is not a “narrative” nor a hidden story. As far as PA exerting control, Israel has actively worked to keep the PA weak and frowned to recognize any sovereignty, even to this day keeping occupation forces inside and protecting illegal settlements. > The reason the US does not recognize Palestine is that right now there is not a fully formed Palestinian government. This is a funny narrative. Afghanistan does not not have a full government but that does not mean they are not recognized.
- vanusa 5y agoThe US was motivated not to recognize it because of the Israeli diaspora in America. There isn't much of an "Israeli diaspora" to speak of the the U.S. At most it makes up 2-3 percent of the Jewish descendant (or identified) population. "Pro-Israel sentiment in Congress; more specifically, a sentiment favoring the current political status quo in Israel in regard to this particular issue" would be a better description of the proximate cause behind the current US policy, here.