There’s currently a lot going on at Wikipedia: founder Jimmy Wales has personally intervened and blocked editing of the controversial “Gaza Genocide” article. He criticizes the one-sided presentation as a violation of the platform’s principles of neutrality.
Wales intervenes in Gaza article controversy
Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales has taken a rare step by editing the controversial “Gaza Genocide” article blocked on the English-language platform. Wales called the article a “particularly blatant” example of a lack of neutrality and called for immediate revisions. The online encyclopedia’s co-founder criticized the article’s opening sentence, which presents the claim of “Gaza genocide” as fact rather than a controversial claim.
Neutrality principles in focus
In his statement on the article’s talk page, Wales explained that the document did not meet the platform’s high standards and needed immediate attention. The article currently begins with the wording:
The Gaza Genocide is the ongoing, deliberate and systematic destruction of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip carried out by Israel during the Gaza War. Current Wikipedia article
Wales argued that this depiction violated Wikipedia’s neutral reporting and attribution policies. Alternatively, Wales suggested that the article begin with a balanced statement that recognizes different viewpoints – such as: “Several governments, NGOs and legal bodies have described or rejected the characterization of Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide.” He emphasized that Wikipedia’s neutrality policy is “non-negotiable.” Loud Yahoo News Wales’ intervention represents an unusual direct intervention by the founder in editorial decisions.
Strong reactions from the editors
Wales’ intervention was met with strong opposition from other Wikipedia editors, some of whom accused him of responding to political pressure and undermining editorial independence. One editor accused Wales of asking them to “betray science”, while another questioned his motives and pointed to his book promotion. Other editors argued that despite his status as a founder, Wales was just another editor under Wikipedia’s rules. Wales rejected the criticism and stressed: “External pressure is irrelevant – and that goes both ways. The neutrality of this article is controversial and there are very good reasons for that.” This shows the ongoing tensions within the Wikipedia community over the founder’s role in editorial decisions.
Article remains blocked
The “Gaza Genocide” article is currently classified as “protected” and cannot be edited until November 4th at 21:47 UTC. A note on the site explains that the blocking “does not represent an endorsement of the current version.” The controversy highlights the ongoing tensions at Wikipedia over its coverage of the conflict and war between Israel and Palestine, or rather Hamas.
