Israel has literally been wiped off the map - by the world's biggest children's book publisher.
Scholastic Inc's latest tome in the popular Geronimo Stilton series sees three adventurous sisters travel to Egypt for an archaeological excavation.
Entitled Thea Stilton and the Blue Scarab Hunt, the book features a map with Libya, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt all present and correct, but no sign of Israel, The Times of Israel points out.
A statement from the company said: "Scholastic is immediately stopping shipment on this title, revising the map, and going back to reprint.
"We regret the omission which was in the original version of the book published in Italy and was translated by our company for English language distribution."
But the Jewish Press reports the book remains easily available, claiming it is still for sale on several online bookselling websites where "one can also see the nefarious map by clicking on some sites' 'Look Inside' feature."
It adds: "For those who wonder whether the story takes place prior to the rebirth of the Jewish state, such recent countries as Jordan (came into existence in 1946), Saudi Arabia (1932), and Libya (1951) are clearly labelled. "
The Times of Israel cites a recent study by Israeli and Palestinian researchers which found that 96 per cent of Palestinian school textbooks did not mention Israel by name in their maps.
The same study found 87 per cent of Israeli schoolbooks did not designate the Palestinian territories by name.