French Magazine Pulled for Saying Israel is 'Unreal Country'

French newspapers the day after the 2005 referendum when French
voters rejected the European constitution. AFP / Getty Images
French newspapers the day after the 2005 referendum when French voters rejected the European constitution. AFP / Getty Images
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French Magazine Pulled for Saying Israel is 'Unreal Country'

French newspapers the day after the 2005 referendum when French
voters rejected the European constitution. AFP / Getty Images
French newspapers the day after the 2005 referendum when French voters rejected the European constitution. AFP / Getty Images

Publishers Bayard has pulled one of its magazines from shops and libraries on Tuesday, because it published a map saying Israel is not a real country. This step came following angry protests from the Council of Jewish Institutions (Crif).

Youpi magazine’s January issue carries a map of the world with the following legend: "We call these 197 countries states, like France, Germany or Algeria. There are other ones but not everyone agrees they are real countries (for example the State of Israel and North Korea)."

Besides pulling the magazine from the market, Bayard’s Managing Director Pascal Ruffenach said in a statement: “We recognize our mistake, it was not well put, and obviously we do not want to contest the existence of the state of Israel," adding that withdrawing the issue voluntarily and in good faith because it is important to contribute to the spirit of calm.

For his part, Francis Kalifat, head of the French Council of Jewish Institutions (Crif), said he had been tipped off by readers about this historical untruth being feed to young children aged between five and eight.

“I immediately wrote to the editor and the head of Bayard to protest about this flagrant error and to demand they rectify it,” he noted.

As the concerned party has responded to the request, Kalifat considers the matter was terminated and there is no need to further controversy.

However, Crif has demanded that the magazine run a correction in its next issue as well as an article explaining what Israel is and how it came into existence.

Ruffenach, however, refused to be drawn, saying that the December issue explained the major religions to children.



Military Confrontation Seems Inevitable If No New Iran Nuclear Deal, France Says

 France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot speaks during the Forum d'affaires Franco-Chinois in Shanghai on March 28, 2025. (AFP)
France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot speaks during the Forum d'affaires Franco-Chinois in Shanghai on March 28, 2025. (AFP)
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Military Confrontation Seems Inevitable If No New Iran Nuclear Deal, France Says

 France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot speaks during the Forum d'affaires Franco-Chinois in Shanghai on March 28, 2025. (AFP)
France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot speaks during the Forum d'affaires Franco-Chinois in Shanghai on March 28, 2025. (AFP)

The window to reach a new deal to curb Iran's nuclear program is narrow and if it is not achieved then a military confrontation seems "almost inevitable", French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Wednesday.

"We only have a few months until the expiration of this (2015) accord," he told a parliamentary hearing. "In case of failure, a military confrontation would seem to be almost inevitable."

Barrot added that new European Union sanctions on Tehran linked to the detention of foreign citizens in Iran would also be approved in the coming weeks.