Guinness World Records cuts ties with Israel: Media

JERUSALEM / ISTANBUL

Guinness World Records decided to halt all dealings with Israel, blocking new submissions, including a request to certify an Israeli kidney-donation record, local media reported on Wednesday.

According to Channel 12, a volunteer group called “Gift of Life,” which promotes kidney donations, approached Guinness to register a milestone involving 2,000 Israeli donors who saved lives through organ donation.

The organization said that the submission “was rejected for political reasons.”

The group paid fees and organized a ceremony in Jerusalem to photograph all 2,000 donors together to be included in Guinness, but it received an email from Guinness stating: “We are not currently processing record applications from Israel.”

The group has since tried to understand the reason and whether the decision can be reversed but has received no response, the broadcaster said.

Rabbi Rachel Haber, who heads the organization, called Guinness’ refusal to recognize the accomplishment “unacceptable.”

Guinness has not commented on the claim.

The report comes as Israel faces deepening isolation linked to its two-year genocidal war in Gaza, which triggered academic, cultural, political and sporting boycotts.

Since October 2023, the Israeli army has killed more than 70,000 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, and injured over 171,000 others in a brutal assault that also left the enclave in ruins. The offensive came to a halt under a ceasefire deal that took effect on Oct. 10.