The Wikipedia entry for the fighter Barel HaDeriya-Shmueli was exceptionally removed from Wikipedia this morning (Tuesday), after the majority of the site's editors voted to delete it. The reason? The event described in it is "not objective."
Did you divide? For thousands of years we dreamed of Jerusalem, so now we want to dirty it?
The removed entry read: "Sergeant Major Barel Hadria-Shmueli was a Marine Corps fighter who was shot in the head by a Palestinian terrorist during an IDF and Border Police operation against Palestinian riots near the perimeter fence surrounding the Gaza Strip."
46 editors voted in favor of deleting the entry on the grounds of "objectivity and non-discrimination, including among IDF soldiers, which is necessary to maintain the credibility and neutrality of Wikipedia." In contrast, 33 editors voted against deleting the entry and in favor of leaving it on the site in its current form.
Hila Rahimi, Shmueli's sister, wrote an angry post on her Facebook page about the decision: "I thought it couldn't be more painful. Since Barel was killed, I have experienced, the whole family has experienced, pain in every part of the body, like a fire. Today I was amazed to find out that they are holding a vote on whether to keep Barel's entry on Wikipedia. Do you get it? A hero of Israel, a fighter who risked his life time and time again, who was willing to die for the country.
"Is there a more national symbol than this? Is there anything more certain than this? Is there anything more true that Barel's values, the evil, the courage, the sacrifice, will reach every boy and girl? The body is tired of wars, the soul can no longer fight. We are gathered in our deep mourning, a terrible feeling that we live with every day, every minute. Barel was taken from us. He was erased from us. I don't know who makes these decisions, but whoever voted to erase his memory is the only thing left for us, who knew that he spat in our face."
Barel's mother, Nitza Shmueli, spoke with Yinon Magal and Ben Caspit on 103fm and was outraged by the decision.
"Yesterday, by chance, a stranger called me and told me about it, otherwise I wouldn't have known. I felt like my child was being murdered for the second time. We are already hurting, grieving, and trying to get to many things that we haven't received yet, like answers about how and why it happened, and why there was no one to supervise him. To receive something like that is to truly feel like we are being murdered for the second time."
Nitza added: "I think that Barel is truly an Israeli hero. He is a fighter who risked his life for the country, and he is truly a symbol and a role model. He is truly a role model, and it is a great shame for us. We are very disappointed, painful, I have nothing more to add except the pain."
When asked by Yinon Magal whether the left is behind Wikipedia, the mother replied: "Apparently. But I don't take a political side. Apparently those people who decided to remove Barel are narrow-minded people, and they are not capable of reaching the same status as Barel and the families who gave their children to the state. It's a great shame."
Wikipedia said this morning in response to the publication: "Wikipedia and its editors respect every person, no matter who they are, and it is precisely for this reason that the principles of encyclopedic importance for individuals were defined, including special and separate consideration for IDF soldiers."
According to the website, "all discussions, including discussions of importance, deletion, and restoration, are substantive, and are intended to maintain the principle of objectivity and non-discrimination, including among IDF soldiers, which is necessary to maintain the credibility and neutrality of Wikipedia."
To this response, Nitza Shmueli responded: "I'll tell you what's going on. Get to know him, he was a hero and a national symbol. His case is different from many soldiers who were killed, because Barel's case was filmed. Hamas, who murdered my son, filmed everything, and that's why the case was so well-publicized.
"It's a great shame, I would like Barel to be with me and for him not to become famous," the mother concluded painfully.
English 
Hebrew