Google Maps ‘Crosses Country Borders’ in Jerusalem

UPDATE

An HonestReporting subscriber living in Jerusalem conducted experiments with various walking routes on Google Maps and discovered that the “country borders” warning was inconsistent over several routes that went through different gates of the Old City. This is indicative of a technical bug rather than a politically motivated policy on the part of Google.

We are pleased to say that as a result of our contacting Google Maps, the warning that the route “may cross country borders” no longer appears.

Thank you to Google for taking prompt action.

We’re very proud of our brand new offices in the heart of downtown Jerusalem. But what happens when someone wants the best route on Google Maps to make the relatively short walk to the Old City?

This is what Google Maps says:

So apparently a walk from downtown Jerusalem to the Western Wall “may cross country borders” according to Google Maps.

Granted, the Old City is over what was the 1949 armistice line (the Green Line) but the city has been reunified under Israeli control since 1967. However, there is certainly no crossing of country borders either legally or practically whether or not one recognizes or agrees with Israeli sovereignty over the whole of Jerusalem.

Interestingly, there is no similar warning given if we prefer to drive by car or take public transport to the Old City, which leads us to believe that this is a technical bug rather than a political statement on the part of Google.

We’ve contacted Google for an explanation. Watch this space.

Featured image: CC0 Pixabay;