According to a report by the British Telegraph, Britannica Encyclopedia has become the center of criticism following allegations that its children's educational materials present the region in a way that erases the existence of the State of Israel and replaces it with Palestine.
The central claim concerns a map published in the children's edition of the encyclopedia, which defined the entire territory between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea as "Palestine," without distinguishing between the State of Israel and the West Bank, east Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. According to the organization UK Lawyers for Israel, this presentation matches the controversial slogan "from the river to the sea," which is identified with pro-Palestinian positions.
The map's caption, written in the present tense, states that "the name Palestine refers to a region in the Middle East that lies between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea." Additionally, other entries in Britannica Kids allegedly describe Palestine as a region whose borders are not precisely defined, but in contemporary understanding extends between the Jordan, the Israel-Lebanon border, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Negev – a description that critics say ignores Israel's existence as a sovereign state.
In a letter sent by UK Lawyers for Israel to Britannica's management, the organization argued that the definitions "effectively erase Israel's existence" and reflect wording and geographic imagery similar to the slogan "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free." According to them, this expression is perceived by many as a call to deny Israel's right to exist, and even appears in Hamas' 2017 charter.
The organization emphasized that presenting the entire territory between the Jordan and the sea as Palestine is, in its view, not only offensive but also historically inaccurate, and conveys a modern political position in the guise of neutral educational knowledge.
Following the Telegraph's inquiry to the encyclopedia, the controversial map was reportedly removed from the website. Additionally, the definition of Palestine was updated to now include the sentence "Today, the State of Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip are located within this region."
The first person to raise the alarm about the content was Shari Black, a London-based children's book author and editor, who contacted Britannica in November 2024. According to her, she received a general response at the time stating that the matter would be examined, but was not updated on concrete steps. In an interview with the Telegraph, Black said that "historical accuracy is especially critical in children's educational materials," and expressed surprise that a reputable website published, in her words, inaccuracies that promote "an agenda of delegitimizing Israel."
