July 26, 2012, Updated July 29, 2012

By fifth grade most schoolchildren know the capitals of the world. So, when the BBC independently divided Jerusalem and earmarked ‘East Jerusalem’ as belonging to Palestine (which, it notes, is not recognized as a modern state), it made sense why Israel took offense.
In fact, a student who checked into the BBC website for geography information three weeks ago would have found that East Jerusalem is the capital of yet-to-be-declared-an-official-state Palestine. A click over to Israel, which the BBC admits is a recognized state, and the same student would have found that Israel is the only country in the world without a capital city.
Although slight adjustments have been made – East Jerusalem is no longer being called the capital of Palestine but rather the ‘intended seat of government’ – Israel is still lacking a capital.
So, the Israeli Olympians took part in a video titled, ‘Viral Response to BBC’s Map: Olympic Team Salutes to Jerusalem.’

Last week, the Prime Minister’s Office turned to the BBC to get Jerusalem listed as its capital on the British network’s Olympic Website but was refuted.
And so, according to the BBC, Israel is a country with its ‘seat of government’ in Jerusalem. But to make sure the broadcasting company is not accused of taking sides, heaven forbid, that remark comes with the stipulation that “most foreign embassies are in Tel Aviv.”
The Olympics are supposed to be about sportsmanship and fair play. At least the Games are being conducted outside the BBC’s studios.

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