‘Jeopardy!’ is criticized for stating the Church of the Nativity is in Israel
Palestinian rights activists and advocacy groups are calling on “Jeopardy!” to apologize after stating that the Church of the Nativity is in Israel and not the Palestinian territories.
The controversy erupted during Friday evening’s episode, which included the category “Where’s that Church?”
A $200 clue stated: “Built in the 300s A.D., the Church of the Nativity.”
Contestant Katie Needle quickly buzzed in, answering “What is Palestine?”
Host Alex Trebek responded, “no.”
Competitor Jack McGuire then buzzed in, answering: “What is Israel?”
His answer was deemed correct.
The exchange didn’t slow the show’s pace, but did hit a sore spot with viewers familiar with the Middle East’s geography and political turmoil.
The church, built over the grotto where Christians believe Jesus was born, is in Bethlehem, a city in the Palestinian territories. Israel controls the territories through a network of military checkpoints and Jewish settlements, which are considered illegal under international law.
Palestinians and their supporters quickly took to social media to ask for an apology.
James Zogby, founder of the Arab American Institute, expressed disdain on Twitter, calling the exchange “an outrage & an insult to history, reality, the thousands of oppressed Palestinians of Bethlehem.”
Grassroots human rights group Code Pink even launched an online petition, asking “Jeopardy!” to “immediately apologize for the politically dangerous inaccuracy that took place on your show.”
“Jeopardy!” has not responded to CNN’s request for comment.
