September 7, 2015
The B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation Commission (ADC) has expressed its strong concern after reports that the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) displayed a map without Israel during a government conference organised by the Attorney General’s Department. Instead of Israel, the name Palestine appeared on the map. After being made aware of the ADC’s concern, ANSTO apologised for its actions.
Dr Dvir Abramovich, Chairman of the ADC, issued the following statement:
“There is a disturbing and growing trend of wiping Israel off world maps. Such acts of hostility and disinformation have become so frequent that it is hard to believe that it is simply an oversight or a mistake. The international effort to delegitimize and demonize Israel comes from many quarters. Most are predictable. What we don’t expect is for respectable government agencies to be engaged in this kind of geographical distortion and to become active partners in this process. Such conduct does a great disservice to the reputation and credibility of any agency. The standard should be that all government slides and publications contain factually accurate, objective materials that are not tainted with bias or are politicized. When an entire country is expunged, in the minds of many, it sends the message that Israel is not a member of the family of nations and that the Jewish people do not have a right to self-determination in their ancestral homeland. It is hurtful, damaging and hinders reconciliation. Accordingly, we urge all relevant bodies to absolutely ensure that Israel, an entity established and recognised by the UN, is never eliminated from any map in any presentation or document, and is accorded the same respect given to other nations. We are glad that ANSTO has apologised and owned up to the fact that this omission is unacceptable. We also welcome the decision to review the process and ANSTO’s undertaking to ensure that this kind of exclusion does not happen again. At this point we consider the matter closed.”
For more information, please contact Dr Dvir Abramovich on (03) 9272-5677