Motorola declares
state of Palestine

Customers in Europe and Israel who recently purchased Motorola cellphones, were surprised to discover that Israel is not listed on Motorola's customer services manual.

The list excludes Israel but includes the non-existent state of "Palestine," and Jerusalem is listed as a Palestinian city.

Motorola's response to inquiries made by customers included the following explanations:

• "The name Palestine is a mistake of the European branch, which will be corrected (The Palestinian Authority) in the next days."

• "In response to consumer inquiries, we are reviewing our manuals to ensure that this is made clearer in the future. Motorola regrets any misunderstandings this may have caused."

Motorola Israel was established in 1964, in spite of the Arab boycott, and is one of the six biggest industrial companies in Israel. It is unclear how such "misunderstandings" occurred at a time when Israel is struggling daily with attacks by Palestinian terrorist organizations.

Motorola's "misunderstanding" is part of a growing European trend among businesses to recognize the non-existent state of Palestine.

In the U.K. just before Christmas, the upscale department stores Selfridge's and Harrods boycotted Israeli products because "they are produced in the territories" occupied by "oppressing" Israel. Following angry phone calls from customers canceling their credit cards, Selfridge's retracted its announcement, but Harrods, owned by the Egyptian Mohamad Fayed, continues to boycott Israeli products. The fact that they made such announcements in the first place, and that Harrods continues with its boycott, illustrates the prevailing European attitude toward the Palestinian Authority and its leader, Yasser Arafat, even as the U.S. and Israel are fighting the "war on terrorism," and the Palestinian Authority is losing credibility as a legitimate international entity.

Rachel Ehrenfeld is the New York-based director of the Center for International Integrity.