'Palestine' does not exist, mobile app maker told

An Argentina-based start-up software company has issued an apology after it received complaints about an app that seemed to recognise the existence of a Palestinian state while omitting any mention of Israel.

The complaint related to the Trivia Crack mobile phone game that tests a user's general knowledge on several categories including entertainment, science and geography.

The question that sparked the complaint asked: "Which countries surround Palestine?" and gave the user the options of "Jordan, Syria and Egypt", "Iran, Lebanon and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia", "Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Egypt", or "Syria and Lebanon".

According to the Times of Israel, a quizplayer spotted the omission of Israel and wrote to the app makers:

"As any geopolitical expert can tell you, there is currently no 'Palestine'; the official name of the areas in the West Bank and Gaza not under Israeli jurisdiction is the 'Palestinian Authority'.

"Also, if one were to consider [the West Bank and Gaza] as Palestine, one would expect to see Israel as a country in the area."

Trivia Crack responded by saying that the game's questions had been submitted by online contributors, and that sometimes, "malicious users", could find their way around their safeguarding systems. They also clarified that it was not their intention to challenge the existence of the state of Israel, but was a simple mistake.

Following the complaint, Trivia Crack removed the question from its game and barred the user who submitted the question.