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Larry Page on Palestine

Corporate recognition pragmatist (moderate) Position evolved

TL;DR

Larry Page's Google implicitly recognized Palestine by changing the google.ps domain to reflect the country's name.

Key Points

  • In May 2013, Google changed the google.ps domain to use “Palestine” in its description, drawing diplomatic protest.

  • The rationale for the change was reportedly based on observing international social institutions rather than solely on formal international law.

  • Despite direct lobbying from Israeli officials, Google did not reverse its decision regarding the domain's naming convention.

Summary

Larry Page, as CEO of Google, was at the center of a 2013 decision to change the designation for the google.ps domain to officially use the term “Palestine,” rather than “Palestinian Territories.” This move, which implicitly acknowledged the statehood of Palestine, was reportedly not based on international law but rather on observing the actions and practices of social institutions like the UN and ISO, a philosophy termed “sociological jurisprudence.” The decision was met with criticism from Israeli officials, including the Deputy Foreign Minister, who argued it improperly recognized a state and could harm diplomatic talks. Page’s approach seemed to prioritize existing international organizational practice over formal state recognition criteria.

This administrative change concerning the domain name representation generated significant debate regarding corporate influence on geopolitical status. While the policy focused on the naming convention within Google's products, it effectively aligned the tech giant with entities that treated Palestine as a state for operational purposes. Although the company may have promised to update Israel on similar future changes, Israel ultimately failed to secure a reversal of the designation for the domain. Larry Page's direct, personal stance on the broader political conflict remains largely unstated, with the action being framed as a matter of aligning corporate standards with global social practice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Larry Page has not made many direct, public statements detailing his personal political stance on the broader Israel-Palestine conflict. His involvement is primarily documented through Google's corporate decisions regarding nomenclature in its services. According to one analysis, his corporate action in 2013 reflected a pragmatic approach based on global organizational practice.

Yes, Larry Page, as CEO, oversaw the decision to change the google.ps domain name to officially list “Palestine” instead of “Palestinian Territories” in 2013. This move was seen by some as an implicit recognition of statehood, which contradicts the position of the Israeli government at the time. This change in corporate naming convention marked an evolution in how the company represented the territory.

The decision under Larry Page reportedly stemmed from adopting a philosophy known as “sociological jurisprudence,” meaning Google looked at what major social institutions like the UN treated Palestine as. He reportedly based the decision on existing international practice rather than solely on written state-level international law. This led to the company aligning its representation with the operational reality seen in those institutions.