erasing Israel from the map

Publishing giant HarperCollins is apologizing for losing its way with a new atlas that scrubbed Israel from the face of the Earth in a bid to cater to Middle Eastern nations.
The company, which is a subsidiary of NewsCorp, has been selling the atlas it says was “developed specifically for schools in the Middle East.” It claims to provide students an “in-depth coverage of the region and its issues.” The atlas shows Syria, Jordan and even Gaza, but the name Israel does not appear on it, according to a story first reported by the Catholic publication, the Tablet....
How did this happen? Collins Bartholomew, a subsidiary of HarperCollins that specializes in maps, told the Tablet that it would have been “unacceptable” to include Israel in atlases intended for the Middle East. They had deleted Israel to satisfy “local preferences.”