Beijing, Nov 1: A move that could upset Tel Aviv, China has removed Israel from leading online digital maps following the outbreak of the war against Hamas. This came after China's two tech giants - Alibaba and Baidu - have removed the name of Israel from their digital maps.

 

Baidu's Chinese language online maps demarcate the internationally recognised borders of Israel but don't clearly identify the country by name, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. The same was also observed in online maps produced by Alibaba’s Amap, where even small nations like Luxembourg are clearly marked, the report said, adding that it is unclear whether the development was new.

 

Internet users in China also expressed bewilderment that Israel’s name no longer appears on major online digital maps from Baidu and Alibaba.

 

 

 

 

The Palestinian terrorist organisation Hamas is backed by Qatar and Iran, which enjoys good relations with Beijing partly because of their common adversary, the United States. China has not yet condemned Hamas' brutal attack on Israel even though it has said Tel Aviv has the right to defend itself.

 

Two days ago, China voted for a resolution in the UN General Assembly calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. The resolution condemned all violence against civilians and emphasised the need for a two-state solution.

 

Last week, China's foreign minister Wang Yi told his Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen that Beijing will do its utmost when it comes to contributing to Palestinian-Israeli reconciliation, according to Chinese state media. China will firmly support any resolution as long as it is conducive to peace, he said.

 

Wang also said that all countries have the right to self-defence, but they should abide by international humanitarian law and protect the safety of civilians.