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An ad by the Israeli Government Tourism Office was banned in England because it showed a picture of the Western Wall and the Jewish Temple Mount and implied that these sites are a part of Israel…imagine that…

The Advertising Standards Association claims that these holiest of Jewish sites in Israel are a part of the “disputed West Bank” and, hence, it is not true to say that they are in Israel…

It’s hard for me to comment any further on this idiocy, other that to:
1. Let you view the ad, below
2. Let you read the article proclaiming the outrage in the British press, below, and
3. Let you read the comments by the Honest Reporting organization
4. Urge you to join the Facebook group condemning this ridiculousness

‘Nuff said…

British Ad Organization Banned This Ad..They Say Jerusalem is not Part of Israel

Israeli tourism advert uses picture of Occupied Territories

Israel’s tourist office has been criticized by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for using images of the Palestinian-run West Bank as part of a package tour for a holiday in Israel.

Reprinted from Telegraph.co.uk

The advert for the Israeli Government Tourist Office (IGTO) boasted that one could “travel the entire length of Israel in six hours” and urged tourists to sign up for the trip.

But the images shown in the poster included the Wailing Wall and the Dome of the Rock – the oldest Islamic building in the world, built in the 7th century – both of which are in East Jerusalem, part of the disputed Occupied Territories of the West Bank.

Viewers complained that the advert misleadingly implied that the areas pictured was part of the “state of Israel”.

The future of Jerusalem is one of the most contentious issues dividing the Palestinian leadership and Israel, which occupied and later annexed the east of the city following the Six Day War in 1967.

Israel’s approval of the construction of 1,600 new settler homes in East Jerusalem last month during a visit by Joe Biden, the US vice-president, prompted the worst diplomatic spat between the US and Israel in a generation.

The controversial move also angered Palestinians, who consider settlements a major hurdle in attempts to reach a peace accord, and who want occupied East Jerusalem as the capital of their promised state.

The ASA said the advert breached truthfulness guidelines and ordered it not to be used again, adding: “We told the IGTO not to imply that places in the Occupied Territories were part of the State of Israel.”

It added: “We noted the ad stated ‘You can travel the entire length of Israel in six hours – imagine what you can experience in 4 days’ and ‘visit now for more itineraries in Israel’ and considered that readers were likely to understand that the places featured in the itinerary were all within the state of Israel.

“We understood, however, that the status of the Occupied Territory of the West Bank was the subject of much international dispute, and because we considered that the ad implied that the part of East Jerusalem featured in the image was part of the state of Israel, we concluded that the ad was likely to mislead.”

The State of Israel Ministry of Tourism (SIMT) said that the advert provided “basic, accurate information to a prospective UK traveller who wanted to know what to expect in Israel”.

It claimed that it was “entirely accurate to assert that a visitor to Israel could visit Jerusalem as part of a short visit”, adding: “Had the ad omitted a reference to a visit to the city of Jerusalem, it would have been incorrect and potentially misleading.”

It said that Israel “took responsibility to support the religious sites of all denominations, a commitment which also formed part of the obligations of an agreement with the Palestinian Authority signed in 1995″.

Logo of British Advertising Standards Association

UK Bans Western Wall from Israel Tourism Ads


The Advertising Standards Authority rules that an Israeli ad breaches rules on truthfulness.

Reprinted from Honestreporting.com

From Palestinian denials of Judaism’s historical ties to the Old City and the Temple Mount to the most recent spat surrounding the status of Jerusalem and Israeli building in Jewish neighborhoods, campaigns to disconnect Israel and the Jewish people from Jerusalem and Judaism’s holiest sites are nothing new.

However, a ruling by the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority has taken things to new heights of absurdity. The ASA dealt with a complaint concerning an Israel Government Tourist Office advert that “the photograph featured for Jerusalem was of East Jerusalem” and therefore “the ad misleadingly implied that East Jerusalem was part of the state of Israel.”

The Israeli Tourism Ministry responded, saying that:

the ad provided basic, accurate information to a prospective UK traveller who wanted to know what to expect in Israel. They maintained that it was entirely accurate to assert that a visitor to Israel could visit Jerusalem as part of a short visit. Furthermore, they believed that, had the ad omitted a reference to a visit to the city of Jerusalem, it would have been incorrect and potentially misleading.

The Ministry also reminded the ASA of Israeli commitments to supporting religious sites of all denominations and that Israeli jurisdiction over those sites and tourism there was agreed upon with the Palestinian Authority in 1995. According to the ASA, the Ministry also:

maintained that the present legal status of Jerusalem had nothing to do with the point at issue. They said it was only of relevance if there was an attempt to interpret the straightforward message of the ad in a manner that went beyond what consumers were likely to understand from the ad.

Nonetheless, the ASA upheld the complaint, judging that the ad had breached rules on truthfulness. Referring to the image of Jerusalem’s Western Wall and Temple Mount, the ASA:

considered that readers were likely to understand that the places featured in the itinerary were all within the state of Israel. We understood, however, that the status of the occupied territory of the West Bank was the subject of much international dispute, and because we considered that the ad implied that the part of East Jerusalem featured in the image was part of the state of Israel, we concluded that the ad was likely to mislead.

Despite the fact that the final status of Jerusalem has yet to be determined through any negotiations between the involved parties, the ASA has, without the aid of international lawyers or politicians, come to its own decision – Israel is “not to imply that places in the Occupied Territories were part of the State of Israel.”

The bottom line – Israel can no longer feature Jerusalem’s Old City, including the Western Wall, as part of its tourist advertising campaigns in the UK.

Since when was it legitimate for the ASA to rule on the historic connection of Israel to its capital city and holy sites?

Israel’s Tourism Minister responded:

These statements join the list of repeated attempts by anti-Israel organizations to discredit Israel’s standing using absurd claims. The ministry will continue to promote marketing and advertising campaigns that make use of historic and religious sites in order to increase tourism to Israel. Jerusalem and its many religious and historic sites is Israel’s central tourism anchor that draws millions of tourists of all religions every year, regardless of political views.

The Tourism Ministry brands Israel as the Holy Land with Jerusalem at its heart, which beyond being the City of Peace, is the united capital of Israel. It is obvious to any thinking person that the Western Wall is one of Israel’s inalienable assets and as such it will continue to appear in the ministry’s campaigns. Just as nobody would dare interfere in the discretion of British state authorities on the matter of marketing Britain, the attempt to do so to Israel is illegitimate and non-negotiable.

Join the campaign to reverse this disgraceful ruling by the ASA. Please request that the ASA reconsider this decision as a matter of urgency – enquiries@asa.org.uk –

and

CLICK HERE

to join this Facebook group to help spread the campaign through social media.