From various sources --The better question is who is the source of the maps and what credible source is claiming the maps are accurate. Nevertheless, here you go for debunking. Summary first. Not covered in the summary is that much of what the maps show as Israel occupying is the Negev desert which is effectively uninhabitable with the exception of some Bedouins.
The "four maps of Israel/Palestine" (often called the "Disappearing Palestine" maps) are widely debunked as historical propaganda. They use visual deception and false categorization to suggest Israel systematically stole Palestinian land. Even major news outlets like MSNBC have formally apologized and retracted them for being completely incorrect. [1, 2, 3, 4]
These maps are fundamentally misleading due to the following core fallacies:
1. The 1946 Falsity (Not a Palestinian State)
2. The 1947 United Nations Partition Plan (Never Implemented)
- The Claim: The first map shows all of modern-day Israel as a sovereign Palestinian state in 1946.
- The Reality: There was no sovereign state called Palestine at that time. The territory was governed under the British Mandate for Palestine. The entire region was home to a mix of British administrators, Arab communities, and Jewish communities. The map's labeling implies that any land not explicitly Jewish was an established Arab country, which is historically false. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
3. The 1949–1967 Erasure of Jordan and Egypt
- The Claim: The second map is usually presented as the proposed division of "Palestinian land."
- The Reality: This was a non-binding UN recommendation to split the territory into separate Jewish and Arab states. It designated land for both groups to create states. Jewish leaders accepted the plan, but Arab leadership and neighboring Arab nations rejected it. Because it was rejected, it never became law, and no sovereign Palestinian state was formed. [1, 2, 3]
4. The 1967-Present Sovereignty and "Green" Discrepancy
- The Claim: The third map generally portrays the West Bank and Gaza as unified "Palestinian" territory.
- The Reality: Following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the territory was divided between the newly formed State of Israel and neighboring Arab states. Jordan seized and annexed the West Bank, while Egypt took military control of the Gaza Strip. Palestinians living in these areas did not have their own state, and the maps omit this critical Arab administration entirely. [1, 2, 3]
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- The Claim: The final map paints large swathes of the West Bank and Gaza as an autonomous Palestinian state losing territory.
- The Reality: The green color's meaning constantly shifts. In the early maps, the green denotes any Arab-inhabited or un-owned land, while in the modern map, it denotes areas of semi-autonomy under the Palestinian Authority (created by the Oslo Accords) and Hamas. Furthermore, the map fails to show the massive territorial concessions and peace offers that Israel has proposed (such as those in 2000, 2001, and 2008), as well as Israel's complete withdrawal from Gaza in 2005. [1, 2, 3]
Show all
- Debunked: Those Maps of 'Palestinian Land Loss' Are ...
Jul 14, 2021 — The more common version features a map claiming to show “Palestine” in 1946. Colored mostly in green, there are a number of small ...
Honest Reporting- “Disappearing Palestine” - the Maps that Lie - AIJAC
Jul 7, 2020 — Appearing regularly in pro-Palestinian books, articles, social media and websites here and overseas – and even in mainstream media...
Australia Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC)- MSNBC apologizes for 'completely wrong' maps of Israel
Oct 20, 2015 — MSNBC apologizes for 'completely wrong' maps of Israel | The Times of Israel. 'It's very complex to accurately cover the Middle Ea...
The Times of Israel
Some other reputable debunkings, not from Jews or Palestinians.
Israel-Palestine: When the Map Lies - Catholics for Israel
Building bridges between Israel and the Churchwww.catholicsforisrael.com
MSNBC'S debunking
Palestine has appeared on maps for thousands of years. However, the nature of that presence has changed dramatically—from a historical region under various empires, to a British mandate, and finally to the recognized but disputed State of Palestine today.
The cartographic history of Palestine can be broken down into a few key eras:
1. The Historical Region (Ancient Times to Early 20th Century)
For centuries, "Palestine" referred to a geographical region rather than an independent sovereign state.
- Roman Era: Following the suppression of Jewish revolts, the Roman Empire renamed the province of Judaea to Syria Palaestina in the 2nd century CE to assert control.
- Islamic & Ottoman Eras: Early Islamic geographers (like al-Idrisi in the 12th century) used the Arabic term Jund Filastin to map the region. Later, mapmakers under the Ottoman Empire consistently labeled the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea as Palestine.
Following World War I and the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the League of Nations granted Britain administrative control over the area. Maps from this era prominently label the entire territory as Palestine.
Reddit·r/MapPorn +4
3. The UN Partition and Modern Statehood (1947–Present)
The geopolitical map was redrawn multiple times in the mid-to-late 20th century:
- 1947 UN Partition Plan: The United Nations proposed dividing the British Mandate of Palestine into separate Arab and Jewish states, with Jerusalem under international administration.
- 1948–1967: Following the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, maps depicted the new State of Israel, while the West Bank came under Jordanian control and the Gaza Strip was administered by Egypt.
- 1967 to Present: In the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel occupied the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.
Palestine Today
The State of Palestine is officially recognized by the United Nations (as a non-member observer state) and by a majority of UN member countries. On modern international maps, the State of Palestine generally corresponds to the territories of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
