Israel Asks Apple to Pull Intifada iPhone App
An Israeli minister has requested that Apple pull an Arabic-language app for iTunes that calls for a Palestinian uprising.
In a letter to Apple CEO Steve Jobs, Reuters reports that Israeli Public Diplomacy Minister Yuli-Yoel Edelstein said the app called ThirdIntifada “passed on information about protests, some violent, planned against Israel.”
“I am convinced that you are aware of this type of application’s ability to unite many toward an objective that could be disastrous,” Edelstein wrote in the letter seen by Reuters.
The free app has been available in iTunes since June 15.
This is the latest app to put Apple’s approval process under scrutiny. In March, Apple removed a “gay cure” app after protests snowballed into a 145,000-signature online petition.
Some controversial apps, like those about Mussolini, Che Guevara and Franco, were all first approved for iTunes stores outside the U.S. in other languages.
ThirdIntifada, just like the dictator apps, was approved abroad but is available in the U.S. iTunes store, too.
No matter what side of the conflict you’re on, it’s hard to understand how Apple approved a news app with “Intifada” in the title with a 4+ rating — meaning that it contains “no objectionable content” and is fine for users over the age of four.
Those gnomes in the Cupertino basement who approve these apps have some ‘splaining to do.
Apple did not reply to a request for comment. If they do, we’ll let you know.
Via Reuters
Nicole Martinelli is a San Francisco native who has lived in Milan and Florence, Italy. She's written for Wired.com, The New York Times and Newsweek. You can find her on 
