Published: 19 February 2021
Last updated: 5 March 2024
ISRAEL’S OCCUPATION of the West Bank may be a fact of life for Palestinians, but it may no longer be a fact on Hebrew Wikipedia. The community of volunteer editors has voted to rename the article on the occupation, dropping the word in favour of Israel’s “rule” or “control” over the contested territory.
Though “occupation” still appears in the article, the change reflects what can be called a version of Israel’s creeping annexation of the territory online in Hebrew, where the West Bank has long been called by its biblical name and the term “occupation” is increasingly perceived as inaccurate due to its temporary and politicised nature.
The Hebrew Wikipedia community, like Wikipedia in all other languages, maintains autonomy from the famous English-language online encyclopedia. Though overseen by the Wikimedia Foundation, each project is independent. Content varies dramatically from language to language, and each Wikipedia tends to reflect its base of volunteer editors and the media sources available to them.
FULL STORY Israeli ‘rule,’ not ‘occupation’: in a sign of the times, Hebrew Wikipedia renames a key article (Haaretz)
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