MESSAGE
| DATE | 2024-11-06 |
| FROM | Ruben Safir
|
| SUBJECT | Subject: [Hangout - NYLXS] Bigotry built into wikipedia
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https://www.ynetnews.com/article/syf5kylb1g
The crime of the century? Bias in the English Wikipedia article on
Zionism
Opinion: English Wikipedia's editing practices have worsened in articles
related to Israel in recent months following the Gaza war and Hamas'
attack
Shlomit Aharoni Lir|
Related Topics
Wikipedia
Antisemitism
Anti-Zionism
United Nations
In March 2024, I prepared a report for the World Jewish Congress (WJC)
addressing the Bias against Israel on English Wikipedia, which I later
presented at the United Nations in Geneva. The report generated
considerable interest among international delegations and was covered by
the media.
However, my efforts to engage the English Wikipedia community were
dismissed, and attempts to engage Wikimedia on these issues yielded no
results. This outcome, while disappointing, aligns with previous
academic studies on Holocaust-related distortions, which also failed to
spur corrective action within the community.
4 View gallery
אתר ויקיפדיה
(Photo: Shutterstock)
What I did not anticipate was a further intensification of bias. Over
recent months, editing practices have worsened in articles related to
Israel, its conflicts and its heritage. One of the most glaring examples
is the article on Zionism. A comparison of the content before and after
October 7 illustrates how selective editing promotes specific political
perspectives at the expense of historical nuance as can be seen in the
before and after quotes:
Previous article text (as of September 23, 2023):
Zionism (Hebrew: צִיּוֹנוּת Tsiyyonut [tsijoˈnut] after Zion) is a
nationalist movement that emerged in the 19th century to support the
establishment of a homeland for the Jewish people in Palestine, a region
roughly corresponding to the Land of Israel in Jewish tradition.
Following the establishment of Israel, Zionism became an ideology that
supports 'the development and protection of the State of Israel.'
Current text (as of October 23, 2024):
Zionism is an ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in Europe
in the late 19th century and aimed for the establishment of a Jewish
state through the colonization of a land outside Europe. With the
rejection of alternative proposals for a Jewish state, it eventually
focused on establishing a Jewish homeland in Palestine, a region
corresponding to the Land of Israel in Judaism, and of central
importance in Jewish history.
Zionists wanted to create a Jewish state in Palestine with as much land,
as many Jews, and as few Palestinian Arabs as possible. Following the
establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, Zionism became Israel’s
national or state ideology.
This revision shows a significant shift from neutrality, using
unsophisticated and simplified rhetoric, as seen in statements like,
“Zionists wanted to create a Jewish state in Palestine with as much
land, as many Jews, and as few Palestinian Arabs as possible.”
דגל ישראל מונף ברצועת עזה
Israeli flag
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
This choice of language reinforces bias and overlooks the historical
evidence of the Zionist movement’s willingness to coexist with the Arab
population, consider land division proposals, and emphasize the deep
historical, cultural, and religious connection between Jews and the Land
of Israel.
Substantial distortion
The distortion is so substantial that AI tools have flagged the article
as biased, a view echoed by respected scholars in history and Middle
Eastern studies, including Prof. Eric Mechoulan, Dr. Kobby Barda, and
Dr. Adi Schwartz. As Mechoulan notes, “you can’t colonize without a
metropolis! There is no Jewish state from where to send colonists.”
But what would it look like if the shoe were on the other foot? To
illustrate the impact of this approach, imagine how the article on
Palestine might appear if nationalist-biased editors treated it the same
way as the Zionism article.
Here is the current version:
Palestinians (Arabic: الفلسطينيون, romanized: al-Filasṭīniyyūn) are an
Arab ethnonational group native to the region of Palestine.
"In 1919, Palestinian Muslims and Palestinian Christians constituted 90%
of the population of Palestine, just before the third wave of Jewish
immigration and the establishment of British Mandatory Palestine after
World War I.
Opposition to Jewish immigration spurred the consolidation of a unified
national identity, though Palestinian society was still fragmented by
regional, class, religious, and family differences. The history of the
Palestinian national identity is a disputed issue among scholars.
פלסטינים עוזבים את מערב חאן יונס
Palestinains in Gaza
(Photo: Bashar TALEB / AFP)
For some, the term 'Palestinian' is used to refer to the nationalist
concept of a Palestinian people by Palestinian Arabs from the late 19th
century and in the pre-World War I period, while others assert the
Palestinian identity encompasses the heritage of all eras from biblical
times up to the Ottoman period.
After the Israeli Declaration of Independence, the 1948 Palestinian
expulsion, and, more so, after the 1967 Palestinian exodus, the term
'Palestinian' evolved into a shared aspiration for a Palestinian state.
This is how the article might look if it were subjected to a similar
bias as seen in the Zionism article:
Palestinians (Arabic: الفلسطينيون, romanized: al-Filasṭīniyyūn) are an
Arab ethnonational group with historical ties to neighboring regions
like Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan. Over centuries, some communities
settled in the land known historically as Israel after the Jewish exile.
By 1919, the population of Palestine included approximately 700,000
Arabs, both Muslims and Christians, and around 85,000 Jews. Under
British Mandate rule, the area was administered as 'Palestine' for 25
years. The Palestinian nationalist movement, emerging in the mid-20th
century, has since focused on establishing an independent state, often
positioning itself in opposition to Israel.
While it calls for self-determination, the movement sometimes frames the
conflict in zero-sum terms, challenging the Jewish historical connection
to the land and at times complicating efforts toward peace and mutual
recognition.
While one-sided editing of articles on Palestine would likely not be
tolerated, similar biased approaches have taken hold in Israeli and
Jewish-related articles.
סמל ויקיפדיה וויקיפדיה Wikipedia
Wikipedia logo
(Photo: Shutterstock)
So, what’s going on here? Reviewing talk pages reveals a pattern where
certain editors, with vested interests, block efforts to balance
portrayals — even when presented with credible evidence supporting
alternative perspectives. This hijacking of neutrality — the true “crime
of the century” on Wikipedia—undermines its reputation as a reliable
information source.
Active measures are essential to address these issues. Engaging expert
oversight and using AI to monitor potential biases could restore
integrity. Wikipedia’s community must prioritize its commitment to the
Neutral Point of View (NPOV) policy.
Dr. Shlomit Aharoni Lir Dr. Shlomit Aharoni Lir Photo: Sharon
Langer
Without these essential safeguards, Wikipedia risks undermining the
trust of its vast readership. If biases remain unaddressed, the platform
could face significant criticism and potential legal scrutiny, prompting
search engines like Google to reconsider its prominence in search
results.
To preserve its integrity and role as a trusted reference, the Wikipedia
community must rigorously commit to banning biased zealots and ensuring
balanced, impartial content across all articles. The stakes are high,
and we all are responsible for upholding these standards.
Dr. Shlomit Aharoni Lir is a Research Fellow at Bar Ilan University
and the University of Haifa and a founding member of Forum Dvorah.
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