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.



7 More Turkish Soldiers Die from Methane Gas in Iraqi Cave, Raising Deaths to 12

FILE PHOTO: A Turkish flag flies on a passenger ferry with the Bosphorus in the background in Istanbul, Türkiye, January 27, 2020. REUTERS/Murad Sezer
FILE PHOTO: A Turkish flag flies on a passenger ferry with the Bosphorus in the background in Istanbul, Türkiye, January 27, 2020. REUTERS/Murad Sezer
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7 More Turkish Soldiers Die from Methane Gas in Iraqi Cave, Raising Deaths to 12

FILE PHOTO: A Turkish flag flies on a passenger ferry with the Bosphorus in the background in Istanbul, Türkiye, January 27, 2020. REUTERS/Murad Sezer
FILE PHOTO: A Turkish flag flies on a passenger ferry with the Bosphorus in the background in Istanbul, Türkiye, January 27, 2020. REUTERS/Murad Sezer

Seven more Turkish soldiers have died from methane gas poisoning following a cave search operation in northern Iraq, Türkiye's Defense Ministry said Monday, bringing the death toll to 12. The soldiers had been searching for the remains of a fellow soldier previously killed by Kurdish militants.

The troops were searching a mountain cave when 19 of them were exposed to the gas, according to the ministry. Five of the soldiers died Sunday from the colorless, odorless, flammable gas that can cause asphyxiation in sufficient concentration, and seven more succumbed on Monday, Reuters reported.

“We pray for God’s mercy upon our heroic martyrs who lost their lives in this tragic event,” the ministry said Monday, also expressing hope for a rapid recovery for other troops that were affected.

It said Defense Minister Yasar Guler and armed forces' commanders were traveling to the region to carry out “inspections and evaluations” and attend a ceremony as the soldiers were flown to their hometowns for burial.

Speaking at the ceremony, Guler commended the troops' “great courage and sacrifice,” adding: “Our grief is immense and our feelings are beyond words.”

The ministry said the incident took place in the “Claw-Lock Operation region” — a reference to an operation launched against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, in northern Iraq in April 2022.

There was no immediate information on the condition of the seven other soldiers who were affected by the gas.

Türkiye and the PKK have waged a 40-year conflict that has often spilled over into Iraq and Syria. Türkiye has set up a series of bases in northern Iraq, where the PKK has been established for decades.

The PKK, which is considered a terrorist organization by Türkiye and most of the West, announced in May that it would disband and renounce armed conflict as part of a new peace initiative with Türkiye.

Its fighters are expected to begin handing over their weapons over the next few days in the first concrete move toward disarmament.

According to the ministry, the Turkish unit overcome by methane gas had been searching for the remains of an infantry officer killed by “terrorist gunfire” during a search-and-clear mission in May 2022. Recovery teams have been scouring the area for the past three years.

The cave where the incident occurred sits at an altitude of 852 meters (2,795 feet) and had previously been used by the PKK as a field hospital.