Wikipedia's editors have voted to classify the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) as a "generally unreliable" source on matters concerning Israel, Palestine, and anti-Semitism.

 

This decision, reported by the Jewish Telegraph Agency (JTA), reflects an overwhelming consensus among Wikipedia editors and adds the ADL to a list of banned sources alongside publications like the National Enquirer, Newsmax, TMZ, and Infowars.

 

An editor known as Iskandar323, cited by JTA, expressed concern that the ADL has strayed from its core mission, stating, "ADL no longer appears to adhere to a serious, mainstream, and intellectually cogent definition of antisemitism, but has instead given into the shameless politicization of the very subject that it was originally esteemed for being reliable on."

 

In response, the ADL issued a statement through JTA, denouncing the decision as a "campaign to delegitimize the ADL."

 

The organization asserted that opposing editors had provided detailed refutations to the claims made against it, emphasizing that "facts no longer matter."

 

Central to the editors' decision was the ADL's handling of anti-Semitic incidents, which they argue has included categorizing pro-Palestine protests as anti-Semitic.

 

Additionally, controversial statements by ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt, who has equated student protests with Iranian proxies and compared the Palestinian keffiyeh to the swastika, further undermined ADL's credibility.

 

The editors also debated the ADL's endorsement of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism. Critics argue that this definition conflates anti-Semitism with legitimate criticism of “Israel's” policies and actions against Palestinians.

 

The ADL's approach has long been contentious. Progressive organizations and Palestinian activists have voiced concerns over the ADL's tactics, accusing it of undermining social justice movements in the US.

 

In 2020, over 100 human rights groups signed a letter urging progressive organizations to dissociate from the ADL.

 

The ADL has also faced criticism for its actions against Palestinian rights movements, including labeling them as anti-Semitic and collaborating with US law enforcement to monitor Arab-American groups. It has facilitated US police training in Israel and advised on the use of undercover agents in anti-racist demonstrations.

 

The ADL's stance on Black rights organizations has also drawn outrage. In 2016, shortly after the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement's inception, Greenblatt condemned the movement's solidarity with Palestinian activists in a letter published in New York Jewish Week.