As CNET commented, Google has swapped in the word "Palestine" for "Palestinian Territories" on its search site for the area, prompting comments from both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The word appears directly beneath the Google logo and above the search field on the site’s home page, www.google.ps, and the change follows a vote by the United Nations’ General Assembly late last year to grant Palestine the status of "non-member observer state."
"We’re changing the name ’Palestinian Territories’ to ’Palestine’ across our products," Google spokesman Nathan Tyler told the BBC on Friday, in a statement. "We consult a number of sources and authorities when naming countries.
