French children’s mag pulled after saying Israel ‘not real country’

PARIS: A magazine for French six-year-olds was being pulled from shops Wednesday after it said that Israel was “not a real country”. “Youpi, j’ai compris!” (I’ve Understood!) which sells around 60,000 copies each month aimed at five- to eight-year-olds, was withdrawn by publishers Bayard after protests from Jewish groups. The magazine’s January issue carries a map of the world with the following legend: “We call these 197 countries states, like France, Germany or Algeria. There are other ones but not everyone agrees they are real countries (for example the State of Israel and North Korea).” Bayard said there had been an error. “We recognise our mistake, it was not well put, and obviously we do not want to contest the existence of the state of Israel,” its managing director Pascal Ruffenach told AFP. He said they were withdrawing the issue “voluntarily and in good faith because it is important to contribute to the spirit of calm,” said.