Israel is facing new information war after key Wikipedia change to Gaza entry

Wikipedia has recently succumbed to an insidious form of historical revisionism. In a deeply troubling move, editors decided to rename an entry "Gaza Genocide," overtly accusing Israel of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip during its ongoing conflict with Hamas terrorists.

This follows months of contentious debate, ultimately driven by a bias that masquerades as neutrality. The renamed Wikipedia entry now cites a litany of academics, historians, and legal experts, many of whom have long been vocal critics of Israel.

Among these is the United Nations' Francesca Albanese, notorious for her contentious views on Israel. Ms Albanese, leveraging her UN platform, has consistently disparaged Israel and rationalised Hamas’ actions, going so far as to question Israel's right to defend itself.

Her dubious assertions have prompted calls for her removal from both the US and Israel, with the US State Department branding her genocide allegations as unfounded. What we are witnessing is a blatant manifestation of virulent anti-Israel sentiment, akin to a hate crime.

The strategy is clear: paint an entire people with the brush of genocide to rationalise calls for their eradication. This narrative conveniently serves the interests of groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, offering a veneer of legitimacy to their heinous atrocities committed under the guise of resistance.

By branding Israel's defensive actions as genocidal, this distorted portrayal not only muddles the reality of the conflict but also provides dangerous justification for ongoing violence and terrorism against the Jewish state. This biased narrative fuels further animosity and division, obfuscating the complex and tragic dynamics of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Wikipedia's entry does not stop at Albanese. It relies on a medley of international organisations and news sources, including the anti-Israel group Jewish Voice for Peace and Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency. These sources have historically skewed narratives to fit their anti-Israel agendas, further polluting the discourse with unverified claims, and anti-Israeli venom.

The Gaza Ministry of Health, controlled by Hamas, is another questionable source cited for casualty statistics. This ministry is infamous for its lack of distinction between civilian and militant deaths, casting serious doubt on the reliability of its data. Such reliance on dubious sources highlights the problematic nature of the Wikipedia entry, which misrepresents and misinterprets statements from Israeli officials to construct a narrative of genocide.

The Wikipedia editors opposing this title change rightly argue it violates the platform's policy on neutral titles. They highlight the blatant bias, noting the hypocrisy in keeping "allegations" for Hamas while removing it for Israel. This double standard exemplifies the anti-Israel sentiment infiltrating supposedly neutral platforms.

Wikipedia editors recently declared the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) a "generally unreliable" source on anti-Semitism and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict—a move condemned by numerous Jewish organisations. This decision reveals Wikipedia's troubling bias, starkly undermining its claim to objectivity.

Who bestowed Wikipedia the divine right to dictate truth? Under whose authority and master does it serve, masquerading bias as impartial wisdom? If anything, Wikipedia's reckless and flawed use of the term "genocide" – a term now weaponised to serve anti-Israel and antisemitic agendas – undermines its credibility as a reliable information platform.

By pandering to such inflammatory and distorted narratives, Wikipedia betrays its foundational ethos of neutrality and accuracy, revealing itself as an unqualified arbiter of truth.

This situation is emblematic of a dangerous revisionist trend. By equating Israel's defensive actions with genocide, the narrative not only distorts reality but also serves as a tool for anti-Semitic rhetoric. It delegitimises the Jewish connection to Israel and portrays Zionists as foreign agents deserving of expulsion—a narrative steeped in genocidal undertones.

The international community must recognise and challenge this insidious form of disinformation. Platforms like Wikipedia have a responsibility to uphold factual accuracy and neutrality, especially on issues as contentious and impactful as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Failure to do so not only undermines the truth but also emboldens those who seek to rewrite history with dangerous, hate-filled agendas. So let’s set the record straight shall we?

In 1946, the UN recognised genocide as a crime against humanity, and the 8th UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide codified its definition. According to the Convention, genocide involves acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group.

These acts include killing members of the group, causing serious harm, inflicting conditions to destroy the group, preventing births, or forcibly transferring children. Based on this definition, Israel is not committing genocide in Gaza. Its actions focus on locating and rescuing hostages—civilians, including children and babies—while preventing further attacks from Gaza in response to Hamas’s violent assaults on October 7 2023.

International rules of war dictate that combatants, like Hamas, should wear identifiable clothing and avoid hiding among civilians. However, Hamas violates these rules by operating in civilian attire and launching attacks from schools and hospitals. They conceal weapons in civilian areas, neglecting to build shelters for their own people.

Despite these severe violations, Israel has taken extraordinary measures to protect Gaza’s civilians. Israel has established humanitarian corridors, paused military operations daily to give civilians reprieve, and issued warnings in Arabic before attacks—efforts unseen in other conflicts. Even so, these warnings inadvertently alert Hamas, complicating Israel’s defensive operations and rescue efforts.

Hamas has recklessly endangered its citizens by using them as human shields and encouraging martyrdom. Before his death, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh called for the blood of Gaza’s women and children to provoke further conflict with Israel. International law reclassifies hospitals and schools used for attacks as legitimate military targets.

Hamas’s charter explicitly calls for the elimination of Israel and Jews, embodying genocidal intent. Conversely, Israel defends itself against a recognised terrorist organisation, striving to protect both its citizens and those in Gaza, resulting in one of the lowest civilian casualty ratios in urban warfare.

The principle of proportionality in war requires that military actions not cause excessive damage relative to the anticipated military gain. Israel’s operations—ground assaults, targeted killings, and civilian warnings—demonstrate a commitment to minimising civilian harm. Despite these precautions, Hamas manipulates the situation to increase casualties, placing civilians in harm’s way.

On October 7, Hamas committed an unequivocal act of genocide against Israel. Unprovoked, they invaded Israel, tortured and killed thousands of Israelis in their homes, and took hundreds of civilians hostage. This was a declaration of war. The ensuing conflict is a direct result of Hamas's relentless violence, hatred, and despotic nature.

They hold the power to end this by releasing the hostages, yet they choose not to. This is undeniably a war, and any other term would be misleading. Wikipedia must reflect this complex reality accurately, rather than propagate a distorted narrative.

Catherine Perez-Shakdam is Executive Director at We Believe In Israel and Elisa.T. is Head of Strategy at We Believe In Israel