Palestinian civil society coalitions denounced the digital discrimination against the Palestinians by Google and called on the company to adhere to the standards of international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and United Nations resolutions regarding Palestine and recognize it as a state and mention it on the application of its maps.

Moreover, the coalition said that the United Nations had recognized Palestine as a “non-member state” on November 29, 2012, by more than 130 countries, but Google Maps continues to omit Palestine from its map. By doing so, it is violating international law and human rights agreements. The coalition pointed out that Google Maps route planning services disregard the movement restrictions imposed on Palestinians by the Israeli occupation such as Israeli military checkpoints, roadblocks, and the Apartheid Wall, putting Palestinians lives in real-life danger.

Instead, Google Maps is adopting the Israeli narrative of space, which is illegal under international law. This includes recognizing all illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian West Bank and annexed East Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and shaping the maps to facilitate the movement of illegal settlers instead of the Palestinians. Thus, Google Maps involved in violating international law and human rights agreements, according to the coalition statement.

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