UPDATE: HASBRO'S COWARDICE

Monopoly contest stirs up Jerusalem conflict (MSNBC)
PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island - Monopoly, the iconic game of capitalism, has been drawn into the dispute over Jerusalem.

Hasbro Inc. issued an apology Thursday after an employee, responding to complaints from pro-Palestinian groups, eliminated the word "Israel" after the city in an online contest to select names for a new Monopoly board game: Monopoly Here and Now: The World Edition.

The company also pulled all country names from other cities on the site when even more people complained, including the Israeli government, because Jerusalem was listed as the only city without a country.

The Pawtucket-based company is asking people to vote at the Monopoly Web site on which cities will be included in the new edition. Until Tuesday, every city on the site listed a country, including Paris, France; Cairo, Egypt and Jerusalem, Israel.

But an employee based in London decided on her own without consulting senior management to pull "Israel" from Jerusalem after hearing complaints from pro-Palestinian groups and bloggers who argue that the city is not a part of Israel, Hasbro spokesman Wayne Charness said Thursday.

SO INSTEAD OF IDENTIFYING JERUSALEM WITH ISRAEL, HASBRO DECIDED TO TAKE THE COUNTRY NAMES OFF EVERY CITY.

SEE ALSO: HASBRO TAKES JERUSALEM OUT OF ISRAEL and VOTE FOR JERUSALEM