 "What’s the Palestinian flag emoji controversy that has hit Apple?")
Apple has landed in a soup after some iPhone users noticed that the Palestinian flag emoji was suggested when they typed “Jerusalem”. This has led to accusations of antisemitism against the tech giant.
Both Israel and the Palestinians claim rights over Jerusalem. The ancient city remains a major sticking point in resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Let’s take a closer look.
Why Apple is under fire
Apple is facing flak as when Jerusalem is typed into iPhone’s emoji keyboard, a Palestinian flag appears for inclusion in text messages, reported The Telegraph.
This has happened after the latest iOS software update. The change has prompted criticism of the iPhone maker which is being accused of antisemitism by some social media users.
British TV presenter Rachel Riley took to X to slam Apple over the change, calling it a “double standard” and “a form of antisemitism”. She demanded an explanation from the tech giant.
“Showing double standards with respect to Israel is a form of antisemitism”, Riley, who is reportedly Jewish, wrote.
She also tagged Apple CEO Tim Cook, saying that typing the names of other cities does not suggest a national flag, “let alone the wrong one.”
“Please explain whether this is an intentional act by your company, or whether you have no control over rogue programmers. Sincerely, a Jewish woman concerned about the global rise in antisemitism,” Riley said in the post.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsDear @Apple @AppleSupport @tim_cook
— Rachel Riley MBE 💙 (@RachelRileyRR) April 9, 2024
I’ve just upgraded my software to version iOS 17.4.1, and now, when I type the capital of Israel 🇮🇱, Jerusalem, I’m offered the Palestinian flag emoji. 🇵🇸 This didn’t occur on my phone immediately before this update.
Below is a… pic.twitter.com/Cw9TDmE6VD
According to The Telegraph, the Palestinian flag emoji was automatically suggested when Jerusalem was typed into the emoji search box on an iPhone which had the latest software updated to iOS 17.4.1. However, the same did not happen on an older iPhone with a previous version of iOS.
USA TODAY reported that the updated software led to the display of the Palestinian flag on the English (UK) keyboard but this did not happen on the English (US) keyboard when Jerusalem was typed.
Apple, expert respond to the row
Apple told BBC that the issue emerges from a feature called predictive emoji. iPhones show emojis when words are typed in messages and other apps.
According to The Telegraph, an Apple spokesman said the change occurred due to a “bug” within predictive emoji, which it said was “unintentional”.
The iPhone maker said the issue will be resolved in a future software update, reported BBC.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Tom Divon, a social media expert at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, said the Palestinian flag emoji was likely programmed to appear when Jerusalem was typed due to “human intervention”.
“Apple’s linking of emojis to political causes poses a problem. The infrastructural connection of the word ‘Jerusalem’ to the Palestinian flag in iOS necessitates a deliberate in-house decision”.
He said there is “nothing inherently wrong with associating Jerusalem with Palestinian belief, but Apple’s choice of default settings warrants justification, especially considering the potential discriminatory implications of this decision.”
Why Jerusalem is important
Jerusalem holds huge religious importance for Jews, Muslims and Christians. The ancient city is a thorny issue in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
While Israel deems the city as its “eternal undivided capital”, Palestinians claim the eastern part of Jerusalem as the capital of a future state.
In 1948, Jerusalem was divided into two after the Arab-Israeli war, with Israel taking control of the western half of the city, while Jordan controlled the east, as per USA TODAY.
At the end of the 1967 War with Syria, Egypt and Jordan, Israel occupied East Jerusalem. It extended Israeli law to bring the eastern half of Jerusalem under its jurisdiction, in a breach of international law, according to an Al Jazeera report.
Israel passed the “Jerusalem Law” in 1980 stating that “Jerusalem, complete and united, is the capital of Israel”, formalising its occupation of East Jerusalem, the report added.
While the majority of countries do not recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, the then US president Donald Trump, in a controversial move, recognised Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in 2017.
Israel-Palestine conflict has flared up after Hamas militants attacked Israel on 7 October last year, killing some 1,200 people and taking over 200 hostages to Gaza. Israel’s retaliation has resulted in the death of over 30,000 Palestinians in Gaza.
Israel’s war with Hamas is in its sixth month now and the pressure for a ceasefire in Gaza is increasing amid concerns of a humanitarian crisis in the narrow strip. The United Nations has warned of an imminent famine in Gaza.
A ceasefire deal is currently in the works.
Apple and Israel-Palestine conflict
Apple’s employees have reportedly urged the tech giant to do more for the Palestinian community.
An open letter purportedly signed by 300 former and current Apple staff in March mentioned a “lack of care and understanding this company has given the Palestinian community, not only abroad suffering in Gaza, but also towards our own team members”, reported The Telegraph.
“It is time for Apple to take centre stage and redefine expectations of how the world views the Palestinian struggle for self-determination, and stand firm in our belief of racial equity and justice,” the letter had reportedly said.
The iPhone maker has also faced protests for banning employees from wearing pro-Palestine accessories, which resulted in the firing of a staff member, as per the AppleInsider report.
With inputs from agencies
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