ADL Report Accuses Wikipedia Editors of Anti-Israel Bias, Pro-Hamas Narrative Insertion
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has released a scathing report alleging a coordinated campaign by numerous Wikipedia editors to systematically smear the state of Israel and inject pro-Hamas narratives into articles related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The ADL’s report, titled "Editing for Hate: How Anti-Israel and Anti-Jewish Bias Undermines Wikipedia’s Neutrality," details a collaborative investigation conducted by researchers from the ADL and the Center for Technology and Society (CTS). The investigation scrutinized thousands of edits and chat logs from 30 "bad faith" and "suspicious" Wikipedia editors, dating back to 2002, revealing a pattern of manipulation and bias.
According to the ADL, these editors strategically worked to alter pages pertaining to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, consistently downplaying Palestinian antisemitism, violence, and calls for the destruction of Israel, while simultaneously amplifying criticisms against Israel. The report further asserts the presence of widespread pro-Hamas bias within Arabic-language Wikipedia articles, directly violating the website’s stated commitment to neutrality and objectivity.
Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the ADL, emphasized the concerning implications of the report, stating that "Most readers assume Wikipedia is a reliable online encyclopedia, but in reality, it has become a biased platform manipulated by agenda-driven editors on many topics." The ADL’s findings raise serious questions about the credibility of Wikipedia as a source of unbiased information on sensitive and politically charged topics.
The report provides specific examples of the alleged manipulation. In one instance, the definition of Zionism, the Jewish movement for self-determination in the Holy Land, was allegedly altered to portray it as an "ethnocultural nationalist movement" that sought to "create a Jewish state in Palestine with as much land, as many Jews, and as few Palestinian Arabs as possible." This revised definition, according to the ADL, presents a skewed and negative portrayal of Zionism.
Another example cited in the report involves edits made to an article about Samir Kuntar, a Lebanese Palestinian Liberation Front terrorist. The ADL alleges that edits were made to remove his murder and terrorism conviction in Israel for an attack that resulted in the deaths of five people, including two young children. Additionally, his designation as a U.S. terrorist was also reportedly removed. These edits, according to the ADL, serve to whitewash Kuntar’s violent past and downplay the severity of his actions.
The report further alleges that one of the "suspicious" editors actively removed references to Palestinian violence and antisemitism, specifically deleting references to peer-reviewed scholarly articles that analyzed suicide bombings during the Second Intifada. The removal of such information, the ADL argues, contributes to a distorted understanding of the conflict and its complexities.
Significant changes were also reportedly made to the Hamas Wikipedia article, burying references to the organization as a terrorist group, deleting sections discussing rocket attacks on Israeli civilians, and removing mention of the over 1,100 murders committed during the Hamas October 7 terrorist attack. These changes, according to the ADL, effectively minimize Hamas’s terrorist activities and downplay the impact of their actions on Israeli civilians.
The study claims that the 30 editors involved in these changes have made over 1 million edits to over 10,000 articles involving Israel and related topics, dedicating as much as eight hours per day to editing articles. The ADL’s analysis of data going back to 2002 revealed that the editors’ efforts intensified between 2022 and 2024, and significantly escalated following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.
The report highlights a significant pro-Hamas bias in the Arabic-language version of Wikipedia, alleging numerous instances of glorifying the terrorist group and amplifying its message with few or no citations. The ADL contends that this bias directly violates Wikipedia’s policies regarding neutrality and objectivity.
Based on these findings, the ADL has issued a series of recommendations for Wikipedia, search engines, and the government. One key recommendation advises Google and other AI developers to refrain from using Wikipedia as a source until the website takes concrete steps to combat bias in its coverage of Israel. The ADL believes that relying on a potentially biased source like Wikipedia could perpetuate misinformation and contribute to a skewed understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In response to the ADL’s report, a spokesperson for the Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit that operates Wikipedia, stated that it found the ADL’s report "flawed." "The values of Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation reflect our commitment to integrity and accuracy, and we categorically condemn antisemitism and all forms of hate. Though our preliminary review of this report finds troubling and flawed conclusions that are not supported by the Anti-Defamation Leagues data, we are currently undertaking a more thorough and detailed analysis. It is unfortunate that we were not asked to provide context that might have helped allay some of the concerns raised," the spokesperson said.
The Wikimedia Foundation’s initial response suggests a disagreement with the ADL’s findings and methodology. However, the foundation has committed to conducting a more in-depth analysis of the report’s claims. The outcome of this analysis and the subsequent actions taken by Wikipedia will be crucial in determining the extent to which the platform addresses the concerns raised by the ADL and works to ensure the neutrality and accuracy of its content on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This controversy highlights the challenges faced by online encyclopedias in maintaining objectivity and preventing manipulation by individuals or groups with specific agendas.
