Israel missing from Chinese online maps

Chinese Internet users noticed in the aftermath of the attacks by Hamas on Israel that the world's only Jewish nation is missing from maps put out by the country's online companies.

Users did not know when companies like Baidu and Alibaba removed Israel from the maps, but it became apparent after news of Hamas' attacks broke on Oct. 7.

Cities such as Jerusalem are correctly marked on the maps, but the nation of Israel is conspicuously absent.

Beijing and Tehran are major trading partners, and Iran hates Israel.

Neighbors of Israel, such as Jordan, Lebanon, and Egypt, are accurately labeled on the maps.

China has previously used maps to designate disputed territory as its own and has a history of obsession with boundary and territorial maps.