U.N. Ambassador Formally Protests Removing Israel From Map

The United States' Ambassador to the United Nations has complained to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan about a U.N. event where a map of pre-1948 Palestine, an area that now comprises the state of Israel, was displayed. As posted previously, the UN-sponsored, "Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People" displayed a, "Map of Palestine" from which the nation of Israel had been expunged. In a January 3rd letter, a copy of which was obtained and reported on yesterday by Reuters, U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said, "It was entirely inappropriate for this map to be used. It can be misconstrued to suggest that the United Nations tacitly supports the abolition of the state of Israel. Given that we now have a world leader pursuing nuclear weapons who is calling for the state of Israel to be 'wiped off the map,' the issue has even greater salience." According to Reuters, the Secretary-General's office was preparing a response to the letter.