The US Capitol Building in Washington, DC. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

A bipartisan group of 23 US lawmakers sent a letter to the nonprofit that operates the Wikipedia website expressing concern over allegedly explicit and extensive anti-Israel bias demonstrated on the popular online encyclopedia.

The letter, which was sent on April 30, called on the Wikimedia Foundation to tackle “antisemitism, anti-Israel bias, and the potential abuse of Wikipedia by coordinated actors.”

The move by US lawmakers comes amid mounting scrutiny over the practices of Wikipedia’s editing process, with critics alleging that high-ranking editors of the online encyclopedia have abused their power to portray Israel in an overtly biased and negative light. 

Among those who signed onto the letter were: Reps. Dan Goldman (D-NY), Ted Lieu (D-CA), George Latimer (D-NY), Brian Fitzpatrick (D-PA), Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), Don Bacon (R-NE), Grace Meng (D-NY), Mike Lawler (R-NY), and Thomas Kean (R-NJ).

The letter cited a recent report by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), an advocacy organization that combats antisemitism, which accused a group of “malicious” Wikipedia editors of violating the website’s policies for over two decades by coordinating the insertion of anti-Israel and antisemitic narratives and lies into articles. Specifically, according to the letter, the report found at least “30 Wikipedia editors who have significantly undermined the platform’s credibility, making more than 1.5 million edits over the past decade to gradually and systematically distort neutral narratives on articles related to Israel, pushing an antisemitic, pro-Hamas, anti-Zionist, and anti-Israel agenda.”

The letter alleged that this “long-running, coordinated scheme” at Wikipedia undermines the site’s commitment to presenting information on controversial topics in a fair and neutral manner.  

Last week, the US Justice Department under President Donald Trump said it launched an investigation into the Wikimedia Foundation amid accusations that the online encyclopedia it operates has spread “propaganda” and allowed “foreign actors to manipulate information” while maintaining a systemic bias against Israel. Edward Martin, the interim US Attorney for the District of Columbia, sent a letter to the nonprofit, warning the organization that its nonprofit status could be jeopardized for possibly violating its “legal obligations and fiduciary responsibilities” under US law.

Meanwhile, the lawmakers in their own letter called on Wikimedia to implement a series of changes to ensure accuracy and non-biased editing on the website. They urged the nonprofit to investigate whether these editors were “covertly acting” on behalf of “Iran, Hamas, and other antagonistic foreign entities” and suggested the online encyclopedia enhance oversight of editors to prevent “biased or coordinated manipulation of content.”

The legislators requested information on how Wikimedia plans on preventing future issues of “antisemitic, anti-Zionist, and anti-Israel bias among its editors.” Moreover, the letter demanded the organization provide Congress “data on content disputes, edit reversions, and administrator actions related to antisemitic, anti-Zionist, or anti-Israel bias.”

Wikipedia has been embroiled in controversy over allegations that its editors have spearheaded campaigns to defame Israel, casting doubt over the site’s commitment to providing information on controversial subjects in a factual and neutral manner. A group of high-ranking Wikipedia editors has engaged in an elaborate and systematic effort to depict the Jewish state’s history in an overtly negative light, according to investigative reports by Pirate Wires and Jewish Journal.

The cohort of Wikipedia editors has softened the image of Islamist terrorist groups such as Hamas through removing any mention of their 1988 charter, which calls for the complete massacre of Jews and elimination of Israel. The editors also edited an article on Zionism, describing the movement for Jewish self-determination as “an ethnocultural nationalistmovement” which was “pursued through the colonization of Palestine.”

“Zionists wanted to create a Jewish state in Palestine with as much land, as many Jews, and as few Palestinian Arabs as possible,” the Wikipedia article on Zionism read. 

Though the editors have steadily embedded an anti-Israel bias for years, efforts ramped up shortly after the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre across southern Israel, according to researchers and investigative journalists. The group, for example, added an article titled “Gaza Genocide” in November 2024, heavily implying that Israel has waged a campaign of ethnic extermination in the Gaza enclave. 

Wikipedia’s Arbitration Committee (ArbCom) announced on April 25 that it had banned two editors from the popular online encyclopedia over “off-wiki misconduct” regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The committee revealed that it had reviewed a 244-page dossier which exposed the conduct of members participating in the “Tech For Palestine” Discord channel. 

“The Arbitration Committee has reviewed a dossier of ‘Tech4Palestine’ Discord server related evidence and has determined that, as of this time, the concerns raised have been adequately addressed,” ArbCom wrote. “The evidence has been retained by the committee to be used, if necessary, to corroborate additional evidence received.”