The Wikimedia Foundation, the San Francisco-based nonprofit that oversees Wikipedia, announced on Oct. 3 that an anti-Israel candidate for its board of trustees will not appear on the ballot for a vote.
Ravan Al-Taie has a history of anti-Israel social-media posts, including accusing Israel of “unprecedented genocides.”
“While you are not one of the candidates on the final ballot, I want to thank you on behalf of the board for putting yourself forward and dedicating so much of your volunteer time to the board selection process,” the foundation’s outgoing board chair told Al-Taie.
“I chose not to comment on the decision of the foundation,” Al-Taie stated.
Shlomit Lir, a research fellow at the University of Haifa who has published often on Wikipedia, wrote that “anti-Israeli bias in Wikipedia cannot be addressed by those entangled in it” and that “a reform is a must.”
