Chinese companies remove name of Israel from online maps

Screenshots show Jordan, Cyprus, Lebanon and other countries on the map, but not Israel. (Fox Business)

Chinese companies have removed the name of "Israel" from their online maps, Fox News has confirmed. 

Maps from the companies like Baidu and Alibaba list all the countries around Israel, but no longer name of Israel.

The Wall Street Journal first reported that internet users in China were confused by the missing Jewish state. 

"Baidu’s Chinese language online maps demarcate the internationally recognized borders of Israel, as well as the Palestinian territories, plus key cities, but don’t clearly identify the country by name," the outlet reported. "The same is true with online maps produced by Alibaba’s Amap, where even small nations like Luxembourg are clearly marked. Neither company responded to questions on Monday. It is unclear whether the development is new, though it has been discussed by Chinese internet users since war broke out."

China has a close relationship with Iran, and Iran is a known backer of Hamas. China remains Iran largest trading partner. Over the past several months, the Chinese have bought a record amount of Iranian oil.