Israel Matzav: Target was selling globes without Israel for 'weeks'

Target was selling globes without Israel for 'weeks'

On Sunday, I reported that Target had agreed to withdraw globes from its stores that replaced Israel with 'Palestine.' On Wednesday, the story was covered in the New York Post and has been picked up by several blogs and 'activists' (I cannot begin to tell you how many suggestions for posts I get from activists in a given day. Once you have a blog, everyone puts you on their mailing list).

There is apparently more to the story than I would have thought from what I posted on Sunday, so I am posting the New York Post's article about it. It turns out that the globes were not just in Target stores in the New York area, but all over the United States (every state other than Vermont where there are no Target stores). It also turns out that they were sold in Target stores for 'several weeks' and Target apparently ignored complaints from irate consumers. And as usual when this sort of thing happens, there is no one taking responsibility for the decision to purchase these globes, and therefore no one who will make sure that it doesn't happen again.

Bob Kunst learned of the globe's omission when a friend's 12-year-old daughter in Florida asked innocently, "Where's Israel?"

"The very people who deny Israel's existence also deny the Holocaust," he said.

After receiving complaints, Target, which sold the globes for several weeks, finally responded. On Sunday, it began yanking the globes from its 1,744 stores in 49 states (Vermont is Target-free), and destroying them. We hope.

"We didn't want to offend any of our guests," said Amy Reilly of Target customer relations, who initially said the omission of Israel was due to lack of space on the item. (Isn't "Palestine" a longer word?)

Devrian Global Industries of New Jersey, which imported "tens of thousands" of globes from China, apologized. "Obviously, it was a mistake. We obviously offended some people. Now we're pulling them off the shelves," said chief merchandising officer Larry Fine. No estimate on how many were sold.

...

The globes were made in China by the Ningbo Beilun Beixin Plastic and Hardware Co., and were inspected and approved by the American firm Bureau Veritas. Its officers wouldn't comment, citing "client confidentiality."

None of this explains why so many people missed the flaw. Or did someone willfully look the other way?

Devrian, meanwhile, wants to talk to the Chinese manufacturer, to make certain such a thing doesn't happen again. The company is having trouble doing so. With Chinese New Year approaching, officers said, no one is available to translate.

Israel will have to wait.

For several years now, Target has been a major stop on every trip I take to the US, typically running several hundred dollars each time. It won't be any more unless I'm really sure that something like this won't happen again. Was this deliberate, as Post reporter Andrea Peyser suggests? Target's reaction will tell.

If anyone sees the globes on the shelves, send me an email with all the details and I'll post it.

Israel Matzav: Target was selling globes without Israel for 'weeks'