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Hamas-linked group training Gazans to edit Israel pages on Wikipedia
Human rights NGO accused of Hamas ties launches programme teaching Palestinians how to shape online narratives
A Gaza-based human rights group with alleged links to Hamas is training young Palestinians to edit Wikipedia pages about Israel and the war in Gaza, raising concerns about political bias on one of the world’s most-used information websites.
Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said last week it has launched the third round of its WikiRights programme in the Gaza Strip. The project trains 12 young men and women in human rights research and how to edit Wikipedia in both Arabic and English.
The organisation says the aim is to help participants create and update online content about the conflict, using what it calls documented testimonies from Gaza.
Euro-Med said the current round of the programme focuses on what it describes as “the Israeli genocide in the Gaza Strip”. Participants are expected to add new Wikipedia articles based on “live testimonies” from people in Gaza.
Anas Jerjawi, Euro-Med’s chief operations officer, said: “Training young people to edit Wikipedia content seeks to transform victims of genocide in Gaza from mere statistics into storytellers.”
He added: “At a time when online platforms often disseminate false information about victims of armed conflicts, it is crucial for us to empower young people to share accurate facts and document Israeli crimes.”
Euro-Med’s work has previously drawn criticism because of its links to Hamas figures.
Its current and former board chairs, Mazen Kahel and Ramy Abdu, were named on a 2013 list published by Israel of Hamas “main operatives and institutions” in Europe.
Abdu, the organisation’s founder, has also been linked to other groups accused of having ties to Hamas, including the European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza and the Council for European Palestinian Relations.
In 2020, the Israeli government placed sanctions on Abdu under its anti-terrorism law.
According to NGO Monitor, Euro-Med has accused Israel of “genocide”, “apartheid”, “ethnic cleansing”, and “war crimes”, and has promoted conspiracy theories and blood libels about Israel. The group has also said some Euro-Med staff have expressed support for Hamas or Hamas figures.
Wikipedia has faced repeated criticism from researchers and media monitors over the editing of Israel-related content, including concerns about coordinated activist editing.
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