Controversy in America After Teachers' Union Sends Map Showing Palestine Without 'Israel'

SadaNews Translation: The largest teachers' union in the United States, the National Education Association (NEA), has sparked widespread controversy after sending an email to approximately 3 million of its members, which included a map showing all Palestinian territories without any reference to "Israel." This action was described by pro-occupation entities as an "unjustifiable mistake."

The message, distributed on Friday, was part of a campaign to provide educational resources about "indigenous peoples" and contained a map that identifies the entire historical land of Palestine as "Palestine," without referring to the occupying state "Israel," according to what the "Jewish News Syndicate" reported from the North American Values Institute.

The message also included materials that some deemed "shocking," claiming that they "justify" the actions carried out by Hamas on October 7, 2023.

In statements to the same newspaper, Stephen Rosenberg, the regional director of the institute in Philadelphia, said: "It is concerning that the largest teachers' union in the country is promoting materials we consider anti-Semitic, justifying what Israel describes as the atrocities of October 7, in addition to supporting groups that it labels as terrorist."

He added that what occurred is a "failure to adhere to professional standards and accountability," considering that the removal of materials from the site without public clarification "is not a form of transparency."

Although the union quickly moved to remove some materials from its website, the "Digital Native Lands Map" still shows Palestine over the entire land, describing it as "the land of indigenous peoples," which has sparked further criticism from pro-occupation institutions.

A spokesperson for the union attempted to justify the situation, placing responsibility on a third party, stating to the "New York Post," as translated by SadaNews: "We discovered that one of the external resources linked to our site does not meet our standards, and we removed it immediately after review," affirming that the union "opposes anti-Semitism."

The spokesperson added that the union has begun a thorough review of all external links and expressed its "strong condemnation" of the content deemed offensive, noting that the working team is now seeking alternative resources that align with the union's standards.

In contrast, Rosenberg called on the union to provide a public explanation and a "full apology," considering that what happened cannot be overlooked without accountability.