LA Times ad promoting Israeli tourism erases occupied Palestinian territories

Submitted by MEE staff on Fri, 10/02/2026 - 16:58 The nine-day tours are touted while Israel is engaged in wars with several countries in the region

An ad placed in the LA Times by the Israeli Ministry of Tourism promotes nine-day tours across the country for Americans (Screengrab/LaTimes.com) Off

The Israeli Ministry of Tourism has placed a multi-page ad on the website of the LA Times newspaper, calling on Americans to come visit its "vibrant" cities and "still" deserts, while entirely erasing the occupied Palestinian territories from the map.

The nine-day itinerary is promoted using an interactive map, where prospective tourists can click on cities across Israel to learn about their history and landmarks. There is no reference to the Palestinian villages and towns on which the Israeli cities were built, and the map of Israel is shown to be from the river to the sea.

The occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza - which proponents of a two-state solution claim for a future Palestinian state, and which the United Nations recognises as being occupied under international law - are nowhere to be seen.

A map of Israel from the river to the sea, erasing the occupied Palestinian territories and Gaza, is shown on the LA Times site as part of an ad placed by the Israeli Ministry of Tourism (Screengrab)

"Start by getting oriented. Rothschild Boulevard, the White City's Bauhaus architecture, the pull west toward the Mediterranean," the ad, entitled Israel: Land of Creation, said of Tel Aviv.

"The beaches here are central to daily life rather than an amenity. You’ll notice people swimming before work, playing matkot on the sand, and treating the shoreline as an extension of their neighbourhood. Plan to walk south toward Jaffa before sundown on the first evening."

The descriptions sound like anything but a nation under attack, which is the notion that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been resolved to sell for the past three years. So much so, that his campaign is banking on the perception of continued threat to help him win the 27 October election.

"If you've decided to drive directly from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, you should know the drive will take about forty minutes," the ad said, "but will feel like you’ve been transported in time."

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That trip takes upwards of two hours for Palestinians, who have to go through checkpoints and use segregated roads.

Israel is currently at war on at least seven fronts, as it continues its near-daily air strikes on Gaza, stepped up restrictions in the occupied West Bank, and attacks in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Iran, and Lebanon.

But in describing an idyllic drive to Israel's north, the ad said tourists can expect to encounter the places of "Jesus' mysticism" and a "thriving artists' community".

It also featured a section about the Old City, located in occupied East Jerusalem, describing it as part of Israel.

In the occupied Golan Heights, which was unilaterally recognised by US President Donald Trump as part of Israel, and which the post-war Syrian government still claims, the ad boasts of relaxed journeys through several wineries where "tastings tend to feel less polished and more like sitting around someone's kitchen table".

In June, the Jerusalem Post reported on the launch of a new $6.5m initiative for the Israeli Ministry of Tourism called "I am Israel", specifically targeted at North America.

"The campaign is designed to reconnect the country to people's hearts and make it clear that tourist sites are safe and open," the paper said.

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