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    <title>Aaj TV English News - World</title>
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    <copyright>Copyright 2026</copyright>
    <pubDate>Wed, 29 Apr 2026 14:31:42 +0500</pubDate>
    <lastBuildDate>Wed, 29 Apr 2026 14:31:42 +0500</lastBuildDate>
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      <title>Microsoft updates maps to label West Bank, removes Israeli terms</title>
      <link>https://english.aaj.tv/news/330457611/microsoft-updates-maps-to-label-west-bank-removes-israeli-terms</link>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Microsoft has updated its digital mapping services to include Palestinian place names and remove ‘misleading’ Israeli designations in the occupied West Bank, according to a digital rights group.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Arab Centre for the Advancement of Social Media (7amleh) said in a statement that the revisions affect several location-based tools, including Microsoft’s Bing search engine.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Labels that previously identified West Bank locations as “Judea and Samaria, Israel” have now been replaced with “West Bank,” the statement added.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Judea and Samaria” is the Israeli administrative term used for the occupied West Bank.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;However, under international law, the territory — including East Jerusalem — is considered occupied Palestinian land and is widely viewed as part of a future Palestinian state.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;7amleh described the update as a “necessary correction,” with advocacy manager Lama Nazeeh urging technology companies to comply with international law and avoid contributing to what she called the “digital erasure of Palestinian geography.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;A check of Bing maps showed that Microsoft has indeed adopted “West Bank” as the label for the territory. The company has not yet issued an official statement on the change.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The report said that the update comes amid broader scrutiny of how global technology firms present geographic data in conflict zones, particularly in relation to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.&lt;/p&gt;
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      <content:encoded xmlns="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"><![CDATA[<p><strong>Microsoft has updated its digital mapping services to include Palestinian place names and remove ‘misleading’ Israeli designations in the occupied West Bank, according to a digital rights group.</strong></p>
<p>The Arab Centre for the Advancement of Social Media (7amleh) said in a statement that the revisions affect several location-based tools, including Microsoft’s Bing search engine.</p>
<p>Labels that previously identified West Bank locations as “Judea and Samaria, Israel” have now been replaced with “West Bank,” the statement added.</p>
<p>“Judea and Samaria” is the Israeli administrative term used for the occupied West Bank.</p>
<p>However, under international law, the territory — including East Jerusalem — is considered occupied Palestinian land and is widely viewed as part of a future Palestinian state.</p>
<p>7amleh described the update as a “necessary correction,” with advocacy manager Lama Nazeeh urging technology companies to comply with international law and avoid contributing to what she called the “digital erasure of Palestinian geography.”</p>
<p>A check of Bing maps showed that Microsoft has indeed adopted “West Bank” as the label for the territory. The company has not yet issued an official statement on the change.</p>
<p>The report said that the update comes amid broader scrutiny of how global technology firms present geographic data in conflict zones, particularly in relation to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
      <category>World</category>
      <guid>https://english.aaj.tv/news/330457611</guid>
      <pubDate>Wed, 29 Apr 2026 12:14:30 +0500</pubDate>
      <author>none@none.com (Web Desk)</author>
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        <media:title>Reuters</media:title>
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