Figure 4 – Before & After: Edits to ‘Jerusalem’ page on Wikipedia

Similar to the article on Zionism, the older version of the “Jerusalem” article from December 2008 opens with a language template that provides readers with the pronunciation of the city’s name in both Hebrew and Arabic. The omission of this important and commonly used template in later revisions suggests an intent to conceal information and restrict access to it, including the ability to recognize that the name “Jerusalem” is etymologically related to the Semitic Hebrew biblical name “Yerushalayim.”

Beyond the omission of linguistic information, the current version of the article no longer unequivocally states that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital. Instead, it asserts that “both the State of Israel and the State of Palestine claim Jerusalem as their capital city,” flattening the political complexity and blurring the distinction between West Jerusalem, which is generally recognized as under Israeli sovereignty, and east Jerusalem, the status of which is contested.

The second paragraph of the older version offers a cohesive and comprehensive description of Jerusalem. It begins by noting that it is one of the oldest cities in the world, continuing with its role as the “spiritual center of the Jewish people since the 10^th century BCE,” and then acknowledging its significance to Christianity and Islam. However, the current version illustrates the way in which even accurate information can be arranged in a way that subtly undermines the reader’s understanding of the city’s historical and contemporary relevance. 

The current editing, which can be characterized as subversive, arguably aims to share information in a way that conceals and blurs rather than reveals and clarifies, and is symbolically evident in the dubious choice of opening the second paragraph with a description that highlights absence and violence, stating that the city “has been destroyed at least twice, besieged 23 times, captured and recaptured 44 times, and attacked 52 times.” Rather than offering sound and important context, the blurring continues throughout the paragraph, with a disjointed array of historical information from various eras piled together and presented in unordered succession. 

This form of counter-writing obscures the longstanding and profound connection between the Jewish people and Jerusalem, a city that has served as the cultural, religious, and political heart of Jewish life for over 3,000 years, known by more than 70 Hebrew names and deeply embedded in Jewish historical memory, religious heritage, literature, and identity. 

This shift in presentation is not merely a matter of editorial style; it reflects an intentional reframing. By omitting direct statements about Jerusalem’s historical role as Israel’s capital and its longstanding significance to the Jewish people, and by distributing various religious associations without context or chronology, the revised version constructs a narrative that minimizes Jewish historical continuity in the city.

 Figure 5 – Discussion regarding Jerusalem as the capital of Israel

The current version also downplays the significance of Jerusalem to the Jewish people by removing key information about its historical role as the capital of the ancient Jewish kingdoms, being as it was not only a spiritual center where the Temples once stood (and the ruins of which remain), but also a political and national center.