Publisher felt inclusion of the country in children’s reference book would have been ‘unacceptable’ to Gulf customers

An atlas designed for use in Middle Eastern schools that omitted Israel from the map is to be pulped after drawing heavy criticism, its publisher HarperCollins has said.

The Collins Middle East Atlas is described by its publisher as “an ideal school atlas for young primary school geographers”, which “enables students to learn about the world today by exploring clear and engaging maps”. It is also “specifically designed for schools in Middle East countries”, according to HarperCollins, with the Catholic newspaper The Tablet the first to notice that this meant its map of the area “shows Jordan and Syria extending all the way to the Mediterranean”. Gaza and the West Bank are both labelled, but Israel does not appear.

Not the best laid plan … detail from a map in HarperCollins’ children’s Middle East Atlas Photograph: PR

HarperCollins subsidiary Collins Bartholomew told the Tablet last week that the decision to exclude Israel reflected “local preferences”, and that including Israel in the atlas would have been “unacceptable” to its Gulf customers.

The discovery has prompted widespread criticism, with Bishop Declan Lang telling the Catholic weekly that the atlas “will confirm Israel’s belief that there exists a hostility towards their country from parts of the Arab world”, and “will not help to build up a spirit of trust leading to peaceful coexistence”. Customers on Amazon expressed their anger with a slew of almost 150 one-star reviews.

“Way to go Collins! While we’re at it, let’s delete Sweden from the map of Europe, Venezuela from the map of South America, and Russia entirely. In fact, let’s all design our own maps of the world and leave out all the countries we don’t particularly care for,” wrote one reader. Another added: “Geography is about accuracy, not political views or opinions. A lot of Middle Eastern countries do not like USA, why not leave it out of the map? This map is completely trash.”

HarperCollins, part of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation, has now issued a statement on its Facebook page, saying that it “regrets the omission of the name Israel from their Collins Middle East Atlas”.

“This product has now been removed from sale in all territories and all remaining stock will be pulped. HarperCollins sincerely apologises for this omission and for any offence caused,” said the publisher.

But the map continues to draw censure, with Dr Jane Clements, director of the Council of Christians and Jews, telling the Tablet that “maps can be a very powerful tool in terms of de-legitimising ‘the other’ and can lead to confusion rather than clarity”, and calling for all atlases to “reflect the official UN position on nations, boundaries and all political features”.

Alex Brummer – a journalist, HarperCollins author and vice-president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews – called the decision to print a map without including Israel “outrageous”.

“The offending map shows the West Bank marked immediately adjacent to the Gaza strip as if Israel did not exist. In effect, HarperCollins achieved what the former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad threatened at the stroke of a pen: wiped Israel off the map,” wrote Brummer.

Brummer pointed to the “strenuous tests for accuracy and legality which publishers go through before releasing any book”, concluding that the choice to exclude Israel must have been “a deliberate decision taken by the publishers purely for commercial reasons”.

“What is comforting is that in the case of the HarperCollins atlas Christians as well as the Jewish community have been anxious to correct an inaccuracy which smacks of anti-Zionism and borders on antisemitism. It is welcome that HarperCollins has reversed itself and hopefully it will be on guard against further offensive publications,” he wrote.

“But one would also like to see the diplomatic and foreign policy community fully engaged in combating antisemitic tropes and denials of the horrors of the Holocaust that still form part of the curriculum and textbooks in many parts of the Arab world.”