Hide and Seek! Scholastic Publishing’s New Game: Where’s Israel?

Scholastic Publishing, Incorporated, the world’s largest publisher of children’s books, with a presence in every American Public School, eliminated the nation of Israel from a map prominently featured in one of their books. The book, Thea Stilton and the Blue Scarab Hunt, is a story about five mice, invited to modern-day Egypt to take part in an archeological dig. Because the novel takes place in today’s Middle East, a large map is provided at the beginning of the tale. On the left side of the map, a large land mass is identified as Egypt. On the upper right, Jordan. Below that, Saudi Arabia. In the center, where the mice’s plane travel is tracked, an unidentified land mass where Israel should be. What are America’s children to think, never mind five little mice?

The children’s book in which Israel was deleted is not a one-off. It is part of a popular series of books so its readership would likely be far from inconsequential. According to RT online, Elhanan Miller Israel’s Times wrote: “A senior vice president for corporate communications at Scholastic, Kyle Good, has told the Times of Israel …‘The Geronimo Stilton series is published in Italy and Scholastic translates the books for the US audience…I’m awaiting a response from the editorial team regarding the timing of reprints and whether this will be corrected. I will get back to you as soon as I have their response’.”

Whether this will be corrected? Taking their lead from today’s “If I say so, that makes it true” mentality, Scholastic Books is, apparently, choosing to eradicate a United Nations, ratified nation. Jihad Watch adds: “Joining in and validating the genocidal jihadist dreams of the ‘Palestinians’.”

Giving moral equivalency to a self-created people that are, in reality, displaced Jordanians, has been the tune of Israel-haters for decades. It has become the delusional cry of those that wish to cast Israel as bloody-handed usurpers. But history tells a different story. The Middle East was populated by Bedouin tribes until the English created the borders of the modern Arab nations during the First World War. Hardly a biblical mandate.

Jordanians and “Palestinians” are all part of the same Hashemite tribe. Jordanians, however, consider “Palestinians” vermin and booted them from their newly formed land; These Arab brothers want no part of them; except as cannon fodder. Want proof? Just watch Lawrence of Arabia if that is less of a hardship than checking Wikipedia.

Despite Israel’s repeated offers of assimilation, “Palestinians,” after generations of poverty enforced by their own leadership and Wahhabist schooling (funded by the Saudis, also Hashemite), cultivate their hatred. They are Islam’s willing jihadists and the world’s perennial victims. The world has swallowed the “Palestinian” fairy tale, never questioning their much larger and more affluent Arab brothers. Instead, all blame is heaped upon Israel, a nation slightly smaller than the state of New Jersey, which has a true, historical claim to the region.

Some replies to the few venues carrying the story are disturbing indicators of the prevalence of this belief:

— Why do you think that even the smallest mistake is somehow a plot against Israil? [as written]

— There is no jewish state. There is only OCCUPIED PALESTINE.

— Firstly,Jerusalem do NOT have a country of ownership. Those were never granted to no one. econdly, those stories are supposed to be old. israel was NOT in the map. Go read the story. Lastly ,Israel is NOT listed as a country, but as an occupied territory, except fpr Israel itself and U.S. No one believe they are legally settled. [as written]

Americans wrote these massively ignorant things. They believe Israel is illegal. One wonders if they would agree if England said the same of America.

How can the erasure of an entire nation be accidental? With anti-Semitic attacks on the rise throughout Europe and right here, Israel becomes ever more significant. On an up note, however, the Times of Israel apparently has received an answer from Scholastic Books. Oh, not directly, of course. Scholastic Books has posted an apology; on Twitter: “We regret the omission of Israel in a map in 1 of our books. We’re stopping shipment, making revisions & reprinting http://t.co/nydUi1k5kR”

Well, they couldn’t apologize directly to a non-existent nation, could they?

Image: Courtesy of: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinksherbet/253412963/