On July 18, 2020, Palestine TV aired an interview with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki. Al-Maliki was asked regarding the alleged removal of the "Palestine" label from Google Maps and Apple Maps, a false claim that appears to have stemmed from a viral Instagram post from July 15, 2020. Al-Maliki answered that as many Palestinians as possible should sign the petition to put the label back on the maps. He also said that Google and Apple are obviously biased towards Israel, that it is obvious who "owns" these companies, and that the Israeli-Jewish influence on them is obvious. He also said that international legal experts and bodies are being consulted regarding what legal action may be taken against Google and Apple. He added that he hopes these actions will be taken in the next few days.
To view the clip of Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki on MEMRI TV, click here or below.
"It Is Obvious Who Owns [Google And Apple]... The Israeli-Jewish Influence On Them Is Also Obvious. All This Makes Them Biased Towards Israel"
Host: "I would like to ask you about the legal measures that you said the government is looking into regarding a reaction to the removal of the 'Palestine' label from Google and Apple maps. Tell us about your efforts in this regard."
Riyad Al-Maliki: "The easiest thing to do is to sign a petition demanding to put the name ['Palestine'] back [on the maps]. The more Palestinians sign that petition, the more Apple and Google will backtrack on this issue.
"But this is not enough, as it is clear that these two companies have obvious orientations. It is obvious who owns them, and the Israeli-Jewish influence on them is also obvious.
"All this makes them biased towards Israel.
"We Have Asked International Legal Experts Who Are Working With Us To Give Us The Necessary Guidance Regarding The International Legal Bodies That We Can Turn To"
"This is not the first time that we witness Google's anti-Palestinian orientation under technical pretexts. We are exploring the legal aspect of this issue. We have asked the international legal experts who are working with us to give us the necessary guidance regarding the international legal bodies that we can turn to in order to file lawsuits against Google and Apple for treating Palestine this way. We hope that we can begin taking such measures in the next few days."
