Wikipedia editors label Israel guilty of genocide

While Israel's war in Gaza against the Hamas terrorist organization has been widely panned as "genocide" on social media, Wikipedia has now also delivered its own verdict. The Wikipedia entry, initially presented as "Allegations of genocide in the 2023 Israeli attack on Gaza" was renamed simply "Gaza genocide" after a vote by free crowdsourced online encyclopedia, created and edited by international volunteers and hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation.

There has been no legally binding decision on the matter by any authoritative judiciary, however, the editors at Wikipedia have come to the conclusion that the charge of genocide is valid enough to remove any equivocation from the title of the page. After much discussion, it was decided that there was enough supporting evidence from experts based in the Middle East to attribute the label genocide.

The decision, like other accusations from bodies such as Amnesty International, holds no legal water but will have a significant effect in shaping public opinion.

According to Statista.com, Wikipedia is used by over 4.3 billion people globally, well over half of the world’s population. The online encyclopedia will not be cited by academics as it has become renowned for issues with bias and inaccuracy. However, it is one of the most widely used websites in the world, and the decision to present the accusations against Israel as settled fact will have profound implications.

The article starts off by defining the entry as being “about genocide accusations against Israel in the Israel–Hamas war,“ somewhat softening the blow by reintroducing the matter of accusation versus established fact. The first “expert” to be cited is Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on Palestinian Territories, despite repeated demands from the United States and Israel that she should stand down from her post for her extreme bias and antisemitism. 

One of the key aspects in the debate about whether genocide is truly being committed or not is the matter of Israel’s intentions. The page states: "Various observers, including UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, have cited statements by Israeli officials that may indicate an 'intent to destroy' Gaza's population, a necessary condition for meeting the legal threshold of genocide."

The article also points to Israeli politicians who have made reference to “Amalek,” an ancient enemy that attacked Israel after the Exodus from Egypt. in the Bible, God later commanded the Israelites to destroy Amalek (Exodus 17:14 and Deuteronomy 25:19).

Ynet News reported that Wikipedia became a battleground for information warfare since the conflict began. The war was initiated on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists invaded southern Israel at the Gaza border and massacred at least 1,200 men, women and children, in addition to abducting at least 250 hostages (alive and deceased) and committed other atrocities.

Wikipedia editors in favor of altering the entry heading to describe the current war have presented a wide variety of sources, including some international organizations and news sites that are biased against Israel, such as Turkey's Anadolu Agency. Israeli journalist Gideon Levy and philosopher Ilan Pappé have also been cited, with casualty statistics taken directly and uncritically from Hamas-run Ministry of Health in Gaza.