Wikipedia Deems ADL Unreliable on Israel-Palestine Conflict

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Facts

  • Wikipedia's volunteer editors have voted to label the Jewish non-profit Anti-Defamation League (ADL) as a 'generally unreliable' source for the Israel-Palestine conflict.1
  • The label means Wikipedia would not typically allow the ADL to be referenced in its articles regarding the Gaza conflict. The editors are also considering a vote on whether to label it as an unreliable source regarding antisemitism.2
  • The ADL was founded over 100 years ago to purportedly combat antisemitism and all forms of bigotry and hate. However, Wikipedia claims the organization conflates anti-Zionism and criticism of Israel with antisemitism.3
  • In defense of their decision, the editors argued that the ADL can't be unbiased due to its dual role as a research institution and pro-Israel advocacy group.4
  • Following the Oct. 7 attack, the ADL's definition of antisemitism was clarified to encompass anti-Zionism, with ADL Director Jonathan Greenblatt saying, 'Let’s make this very clear: Anti-Zionism is antisemitism.'1
  • In 2021, Wikipedia declared the Jewish Chronicle generally reliable and banned the Jewish Virtual Library for most uses for its alleged pro-Israel bias.5

Sources: 1CNN, 2The Washington Times, 3Independent, 4newsmax.com and 5Timesofisrael.

Narratives

  • Pro-Israel narrative, as provided by Timesofisrael. The ADL, whose statistics not even the editors could show are inaccurate, relies on its credibility. This vote was taken due to a handful of statements made by Jonathan Greenblatt and subjective arguments about how pro-Palestine protesters should be labeled. While these topics can certainly be debated, the longest-serving defender of Jewish rights shouldn't be banned from Wikipedia over them.
  • Pro-Palestine narrative, as provided by The Nation. The US government and corporate media have long protected the ADL, but since the Oct. 7 attack, ADL leadership has dangerously conflated criticism of Israel with antisemitism. Even before Oct. 7, it was known to attack Palestinian-focused groups. Given its recent bad-faith assertions targeting Palestinian groups, scholars, students, and anti-war Jewish groups, Wikipedia has made the correct choice.

Predictions