<CPOV> My reflections about certain aspects of WP and some more Middle-Eastern-Wikipedian information

[Dror Kamir]

  Hi,

Those of you who had a conversation with me about Wikipedia, won't find 
these posts of mine very innovative, and yet, I think I managed to 
summarize two aspects of my criticism on the current governing policies 
there. The link is to my FaceBook "notes". The discussion that follows 
these "notes" is also worth reading (I think).

http://www.facebook.com/notes.php?id=559929544

Good luck to you in Leipzig (unfortunately I don't speak German, and the 
upcoming holiday season compels me to stay close to my mother's kitchen, 
though more as an eater than as a cook).

*   *   *

Regarding the "Zionist edit" initiative and the controversy around it, 
apparently this is not a new thing at all. Apparently I should have made 
a deeper research when I prepared my talk about the Middle East conflict 
on WP, but I can say in my defense, that people do their best to hide 
the intrigues and scandals surrounding this issue.

Here's a report about "Wikipedians for Palestine" on the WikipediaReview 
forum. The responses are fascinating too:
http://wikipediareview.com/index.php?showtopic=3052&pid=13208&mode=threaded&show=&st=&#entry13208
This Yahoo groups was established in 2006 and ceased to exist, I don't 
know when.
This screen-shot is perhaps its last remnant 
http://www.zionismontheweb.org/internet_warfare/Wikipedia_palestine1.jpg

Here is a similar pro-Israeli attempt from 2008
http://electronicintifada.net/downloads/pdf/080421-camera-wikipedia.pdf

Here is the (somewhat hysterical) response on the Electronic Wikipedia 
website:
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article9474.shtml

And the protocol of the Wikipedian tribunal about the case:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:CAMERA

Here is a report comparing the reaction to each of the aforementioned 
incidents (the writer is pro-Israeli):
http://wikibias.com/2010/08/camera-wikipedians-for-palestine/

In the Middle East like in the Middle East, an imposed ceasefire is just 
a prelude before the next war...
There is probably an informal pro-Palestinian/pro-Arab group currently 
active on the English WP.
This is a very critical article about it - 
http://wikibias.wordpress.com/category/how-to-dominate-with-misinformation/
I checked some of the information myself, and I can say cautiously that 
he seems to be right about several names and incorrect about others, and 
there is at least one name that he missed.

The "Zionist reaction" 
(http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/the-right-s-latest-weapon-zionist-editing-on-wikipedia-1.308667) 
seems to be nothing but hot air, but nevertheless it triggered this 
Palestinian response: 
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/palestinians-prepare-to-battle-zionist-editing-on-wikipedia-1.310836?localLinksEnabled=false

Since it is the eve of the Jewish new year and also Laylat al-Qadr of 
Ramadan, let me end with a prayer than this virtual cat-fight will be 
the only fight in the Middle East. I am concerned, however, that the 
concept of WP will be harmed eventually.

Dror K