Apple has found itself entangled in an antisemitic controversy after iPhone users discovered that when they type the phrase ‘Jerusalem’, an emoji of the Palestinian flag appears on the keyboard.
However, the tech giant claimed that it was the outcome of a bug that would be fixed in the next iOS software update.
After millions of users upgraded their mobile operating systems, Apple was accused of “showing double standards” toward Israel.
Apple is now being accused of antisemitism
When iPhone users type the name of a country, an emoji flag representing that country appears. However, this feature does not apply to city names because no flag displays when a user enters New York or Tokyo.
The status of Jerusalem remains highly controversial, as both Israel and Palestine claim it as their capital.
Notably, the city is divided between Israel and Palestine, with Israel controlling the western portion and the UN recognizing the eastern part as Palestinian territory.
Former US President Donald Trump attracted widespread outrage when he recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in 2017, heightening regional tensions. The international community and Palestinian officials condemned his actions, calling them “deplorable and unacceptable measures (that) deliberately undermine all peace efforts.”
Apple is now being accused of antisemitism, with British TV presenter Rachel Riley, an ardent supporter of Israel, calling out the American tech behemoth.
She addressed the peculiarity in a post on X on Thursday, noting that other capital cities rarely trigger flag suggestions.
“Showing double standards with respect to Israel is a form of antisemitism, which is itself a form of racism against Jewish people,” she complains. Riley further called on Apple Support and CEO Tim Cook to explain “whether this is an intentional act by your company or whether you have no control over rogue programmers.”
“In my opinion, a multinational company like Apple would not want to admit publicly that this was an intentional act,” Riley wrote, adding that she hopes “those responsible will no longer be working for the company.”