Wikipedia and the Israeli–Palestinian conflict

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Israeli–Palestinian conflict has been covered extensively on Wikipedia.[1]

In 2023, Stephen Harrison of Slate wrote, "It shouldn't come as a surprise that Wikipedia is a better place to learn about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict than X, TikTok, and other social media platforms are."[2]

Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales has said the topic is debated often but the site strives to be neutral.[3][4]

The 2023 Israel-Palestine war was extensively covered on Wikipedia and other related projects in various languages. This included articles about the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel starting from October 7, 2023, as well as the subsequent Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip and the Israeli invasion by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) in the following weeks.[5] The articles encompassed edit warring due to the diversity of narratives from both sides of the conflict.[6][7]

Responses from Wikipedia[edit]

This logo was used on the main page of the Arabic Wikipedia.

The Wikimedia Foundation issued a statement on December 4, 2023, titled "Wikimedia updates on the crisis in Gaza Strip and Israel", and another statement on December 5, 2023, calling for "an end to measures preventing access to the internet in the Gaza Strip".[8]

On December 3, 2023, the Arab Center for Social Media Development, which supports Palestinian digital rights and is based in Haifa, issued a statement titled "Concerns about Wikimedia's position in light of the Israeli War on Gaza," urging Wikimedia Foundation to reassess its position and take decisive actions in light of the ongoing attacks on Gaza, as well as to continue supporting the Wikipedia community in Palestine. The statement concluded by stating that the foundation "must maintain its integrity by defending neutrality while condemning deliberate misinformation and supporting communities in crisis".[9]

The Arabic Wikipedia changed its logo to the colors of the Palestinian flag and suspended editing articles for one day on Saturday, December 23, 2023, in protest against the ongoing attacks against the Palestinian people and the bias of many Western governments, especially the United States, towards one side of the conflict and the adoption of double standards. The step was taken to express solidarity and rejection of misinformation, according to what was published on the Arabic Wikipedia's main page, which added a logo expressing that.[10][11][12][13][14][15] This solidarity was widely welcomed by a large number of Arab users and supporters of the Palestinian cause, while it was criticized by some Israeli users.[16]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Israeli-Palestinian conflict rages on Wikipedia". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 2010-05-16. Archived from the original on 2023-12-20. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
  2. ^ Harrison, Stephen (2023-10-26). "Wikipedia Is Covering the War in Israel and Gaza Better Than X". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Archived from the original on 2023-12-14. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
  3. ^ "Wikipedia Founder: Israel-Palestine Is Heavily Debated, but We're Vigilant on Neutrality". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 2022-12-01. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
  4. ^ "Wikipedia founder supports Israel, but keeps site neutral". timesofisrael.com. Archived from the original on 2023-12-20. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
  5. ^ Wikipedia is covering the war in Israel and Gaza better Than X, Slate Archived 2023-12-14 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ "ويكيبيديا" وحرب غزة... حلبة صراع جديدة بين "كتائب" المحررين، Independent Arabia Archived 2023-11-25 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ מעורבת במלחמת ההסברה: איך כותבים בוויקיפדיה ערך נפיץ כמו "מלחמת חרבות ברזל"?، Israel Hayom Archived 2023-12-12 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ Wikimedia Foundation calls for unrestricted internet connectivity and access to knowledge in Gaza, Wikimedia Foundation Archived 2023-12-23 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ "رسالة - تخوفات بشأن موقف مؤسسة ويكيميديا في ظل الحرب الإسرائيلية على غزة". حملة - المركز العربي لتطوير الإعلام الاجتماعي. 18 December 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-12-19. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  10. ^ ما سبب إغلاق موسوعة ويكيبيديا مؤقتاً يوم 23 كانون الأول 2023؟، تلفزيون سوريا Archived 2023-12-24 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ 'Arabic Wikipedia' shuts down for one day in solidarity with Gaza, Roya News Archived 2023-12-24 at the Wayback Machine
  12. ^ Wikipedia Arabic closes its site for 24 hours in solidarity with Gaza, Jordan News Archived 2023-12-23 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ كيف جاءت ردود الفعل على "الفيتو" الأمريكي ضد مشروع القرار لوقف إطلاق النار بغزة؟، CNN Archived 2023-12-21 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ الجيش الإسرائيلي يستعد للشهر الثاني من الحرب على غزة بجسرين جوي وبحري من الأسلحة، Sputnik Archived 2023-11-06 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^ Why US double standards on Israel and Russia play into a dangerous game, The Guardian Archived 2023-12-26 at the Wayback Machine
  16. ^ إغلاق ويكيبيديا العربيَّة دعماً لغزَّة.. كيف يتشكل التضامن الرقمي من أجل فلسطين؟، عربي بوست Archived 2023-12-25 at the Wayback Machine

Further reading[edit]

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