Customers raised concerns after spotting a globe at Selfridges that excludes Israel from its map while prominently labeling Palestine in capital letters. The luxury department store quickly removed the illuminated, rotating world map from shelves at its flagship Oxford Street location.
Inconsistent Mapping Sparks Backlash
The globe marks neighboring countries like Syria, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia clearly with their capitals. However, it applies a numbering system selectively for smaller nations. Israel appears only as number 30, despite being more than twice the size of Cyprus, which receives a full name label.
Palestine, spanning up to 2,400 square miles including Gaza, stands out prominently. In contrast, Jordan, covering 34,000 square miles, is merely numbered.
Selfridges Responds to Complaints
Selfridges investigated the issue with the supplier, who explained the cartography method uses numbers for some countries, referenced in a separate key. The store stated: “It’s extremely important to us that we create an environment where everyone feels welcome and our customers can shop with confidence, which is why we made the decision to remove the item from sale.”
Pro-Israel activist Max Radford accused the retailer of “cancelling” Israel, noting more than 700 complaints received. One customer expressed outrage online: “I am disgusted this was on the shelves of your store. It is factually incorrect and all stock of it needs to be disposed of.”
Selfridges, once owned by British Jewish businessman Sir Charles Clore—a namesake for a Tel Aviv beachfront park—acted swiftly to address the potential for offense.
