The National Jewish Assembly considers the erasure of Israel from the map on t-shirts worn by the UK British Consulate in Jerusalem (#TeamUK) during the Palestine Marathon on March 10, 2023, to be a contemptible act. The official representatives of the UK mission in Jerusalem have adopted the position of the Palestinian Authority (PA) to erase Israel, which is unacceptable.
The t-shirts featured the official PA logo that entirely erased Israel. This logo was worn by Fatah Central Committee Secretary Jibril Rajoub, who posted pictures on his Facebook page. The use of the PA map erasing Israel is nothing new, and it is outrageous to see official representatives of any country, including the UK, adopting the PA stance.
Jibrali Rajoub has a track record of performative anti-Israel agitation. In 2018, Rajoub was banned from all soccer-related activity by FIFA in 2018 after he urged Palestinians to burn t-shirts bearing the name of Lionel Messi, after the Argentinian football star went to Jerusalem for a friendly match between Israel and Argentina.
Following the marathon, the official Twitter account of the British Consulate in Jerusalem (@UKinJerusalem) posted a tweet showing seven participants of “Team UK” wearing the Palestine Marathon t-shirts with the map that entirely erased Israel. The tweet declared that “Team UK joined thousands of Palestinian and international runners in the incredible Palestine Marathon to support #FREEDOMOFMOVEMENT for all Palestinians.”
The PA “#FREEDOMOFMOVEMENT” hashtag specifically supports the PA’s position that Israel should remove its barriers and other security measures erected between PA-controlled areas and Israel’s large cities. It is important to note that these barriers were established specifically to reduce the ability of Palestinian terrorists to gain unfettered access to Israeli communities in order to conduct attacks against Israeli civilians.
The NJA condemn in the strongest terms the erasure of Israel from the map on these t-shirts and call on the UK government to take swift action against the official representatives of the UK mission in Jerusalem who participated in this act. We recommend that the UK representatives be reprimanded, and that the British Consulate in Jerusalem be required to publish a public apology.
The NJA stand with Israel and firmly believe that erasing Israel from the map is unacceptable and goes against the principles of peace, coexistence, and respect for all nations.
For further inquiries, please contact Heath Sloane – NJA Press and Marketing Manager (heath@nja.org.uk)
