The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), a British advertising watchdog, banned an Israeli tourism advertisement Wednesday featuring the Old City under the pretext of being 'misleading' and suggesting to consumers that the Old City was part of Israel, according to AFP.
The ad, titled "Israel Land of Creation," featured a photograph juxtaposing the walled Old City and Muslim Dome of the Rock with the more modern buildings of west Jerusalem. Its text read "Israel has it all" and "everyone falls for the Old City, with its narrow (and car-free) alleys, teeming pilgrims and bazaar-like buzz," according to AFP.
The ASA, AFP said, banned the advertisement following the receipt of a complaint.
In a statement, the authority said the ad could mislead consumers into making uninformed decisions when booking a trip to Israel.
The Israeli Tourist Office denied ASA allegations that its ad suggested that east Jerusalem was a part of Israel. According to AFP, the governmental office said it did not seek to make a political statement but merely sought to provide consumers with practical information regarding the sites featured in the ad, which could only be accessed through a visit to Israel.