The French kitchenware maker Tefal removed references to “Palestine” from three of its websites following earlier complaints over Israel’s omission from them.

The removal of “Palestine” from the Middle East versions of the firm’s website seems to have occurred sometime this week, following a publication by the news site lemondejuif.info, which reported that Tefal had omitted its Israeli resellers from the online lists of its Middle East service providers while it kept references to “Palestine.”

A Tefal representative told JTA on Friday that Israel’s omission from the firm’s Middle East websites in English, French and Farsi was the result of a “technical problem that had been fixed.”

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

The websites on Friday still made no mention of Israel but had been altered to omit any reference also to “Palestine,” as cached versions of the same websites showed.

Tefal’s international website in English does mention Israel. It also lists a reseller based in east Jerusalem as its representative in the Palestinian Territories.

Approached for a reaction by JTA on Friday, Caroline Simon, a representative of the SEB Group which owns the Tefal brand, denied allegations that the website had replaced Israel with “Palestine,” as the lemondejuif news site claimed.

“We had a technical problem in one of our scroll-down menus. Israel was removed or didn’t appear, as it should have. We are sorry for this malfunction, which was fixed as soon as it was brought to our attention,” Simon said.

She was not immediately available for comment on further questions as to why neither Israel nor “Palestine” currently appear on the Middle East versions of the company’s website.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount