Wikipedia co-founder slammed for biased intervention after blocking edits on 'Gaza genocide' page
The co-founder of Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales, has faced backlash from contributors after personally deciding to block editing of the platform’s “Gaza genocide” page.
Wales intervened on Sunday to block editors from modifying the article, claiming without evidence that the page and its introduction reflect an “anti-Israel bias.”
The introduction of the page currently states: “This article is about the ongoing genocide by Israel in Gaza.”
It defines the "Gaza genocide" as “the ongoing, intentional, and systematic destruction of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip carried out by Israel during the Gaza war.”
In a recent update posted on the article’s discussion page, Wales said he had been asked about the entry during a media interview.
He stated that his response was that the article does not comply with "Wikipedia’s neutrality standards" and therefore requires immediate review.
The intervention has angered many Wikipedia editors. One accused Wales of yielding to “political pressure and asking us to betray scholarship.”
Another editor remarked, “There is also an ‘ongoing controversy’ over whether mRNA vaccines cause ‘turbo cancer’ and whether [Donald] Trump actually won the 2020 Presidential election. Do you want us to be bold and go edit those articles as well?”
A veteran contributor added, “I have been editing in the [Israel/Palestine] area for just over 20 years, and [as far as I know] there has never been as much external attention on Wikipedia’s coverage of this topic as now. Much of it negative, from pro-Israeli commentators, X, blogs, you name it … Wales says ‘the neutrality of this article is disputed, and there are very good reasons for that.’ Could [he] please tell us one or two of these good reasons?”
Amid the backlash, Wales insisted that he was not denying that genocide is taking place. “My argument is that it is not the job of Wikipedia to adjudicate the issue.”
At present, the “Gaza genocide” article on Wikipedia is marked as “protected” until 21:47 UTC on November 4, 2025.
The United Nations, major international organizations, and the broader international community have characterized Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocidal.
In September, the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) stated that Israel’s war in Gaza meets the legal definition of genocide.
Israel also faces an open case for Gaza genocide in the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
During Israel's two-year genocidal war on Gaza, the regime killed 68,858 Palestinians, wounding 170,664 others, the majority of them women and children.
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