Talk:Israel/Archive 105

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Just like Arabic, English is also a recognized language in Israel. Please add English alongside Arabic in the "recognized languages" section in the infobox. Here are the sources, as added to the article List of countries and territories where English is an official language.

^[1][2][3] MylowattsIAm (talk) 23:23, 30 April 2024 (UTC)

 Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. Shadow311 (talk) 15:54, 2 May 2024 (UTC)

Please add English alongside Arabic in the "recognized languages" section in the infobox. The sources I already gave. MylowattsIAm (talk) 08:57, 6 May 2024 (UTC)

 Not done: English is not a de jure official language in Israel as stated in your cites. The article text appears to cover this correctly. O3000, Ret. (talk) 10:46, 6 May 2024 (UTC)

Then why not add it as a de facto recognized language with these citations and footnotes explaining it? It's stared that it's use comes even before Arabic so it makes no sense to leave it out of the infobox. MylowattsIAm (talk) 14:28, 6 May 2024 (UTC)

There are a very large number of languages spoken in Israel as can be seen in the article on this at: Languages of Israel linked to in the languages section of this article. We cannot put them in an infobox. Please stop reopening this request. O3000, Ret. (talk) 22:01, 6 May 2024 (UTC)

But English has a completely different status. One of the sources literally states "after Hebrew but before Arabic". It's not just another language used by someone in Israel, it is a working language of the state, a bit less important than Hebrew but more important than Arabic. Some articles use a row titled "working language" so perhaps we could use that here. I will reopen the request again for the last time. MylowattsIAm (talk) 08:18, 7 May 2024 (UTC)

I'd like to support this suggestion. More sources are needed to back the claim of English as the working language. Ahri.boy (talk) 21:43, 7 May 2024 (UTC)

English is used around the world, somewhat like French centuries ago. I've been to many countries in South America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific and had little problem using English. {OK, some difficulty in parts of the US.) This is partly due the prevalence of tech related documents written in English, and partly due to pop music and movies, and partly due to the annoying American tourists countries put up with. Israel is a special case. But these factors still exist. O3000, Ret. (talk) 22:11, 7 May 2024 (UTC)

 Not done for now: please establish a consensus for this alteration before using the {{Edit extended-protected}} template. M.Bitton (talk) 00:27, 9 May 2024 (UTC)

In the Government and politics section, there is a "see also" link for the Criticism of Israel. I wonder if there should be a separate section altogether for that, especially considering some of the criticism for the state is not entirely about "government and politics" (examples: islamophobia, antisemitism, etc). Josethewikier (talk) 03:06, 13 May 2024 (UTC)

Not what we are looking for...WP:STRUCTURE "Segregation of text or other content into different regions or subsections, based solely on the apparent POV of the content itself, may result in an unencyclopedic structure..." WP:CSECTION " Sections within an article dedicated to negative criticisms are normally also discouraged. " Moxy🍁 03:21, 13 May 2024 (UTC)

Does anyone disagree with the content or the phrasing in this paragraph:

Israel is located in a region known historically as Canaan, Palestine, and the Holy Land. In antiquity, it was home to several Canaanite, and later, Israelite and Judahite states, and is referred to as the Land of Israel in Jewish tradition. The region was successively conquered and assimilated by the Assyrian, Babylonian, Achaemenid, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine empires, the Arab Caliphates, Crusaders, Ayyubids, Mamluks and the Ottomans, causing the region to become very cosmopolitan.^[1][2] The late 19th century saw the rise of Zionism in Europe, a movement seeking a Jewish homeland, which garnered British support during World War I. During the war, the Ottomans were defeated and the British Mandate for Palestine was set up in 1920. Jewish immigration to Mandatory Palestine increased considerably, leading to intercommunal conflict between Jews and Arabs.^[3] The 1947 UN Partition Plan triggered a civil war between the two groups, which saw the expulsion and flight of most of Mandatory Palestine's predominantly Arab population, a central component of the fracturing, dispossession, and displacement of Palestinians known as the Nakba in Palestinian society.^[4][5][6]

Alexanderkowal (talk) 10:43, 10 May 2024 (UTC)

I've added

...exacerbated by British colonial policy of divide and rule.

at the end of the sentence on intercommunal conflict Alexanderkowal (talk) 11:48, 10 May 2024 (UTC)

Can you remove the cosmopolitan part in the lead OR add the corresponding info in the body as the lead is supposed to be a summary of the body? Also could you please check the article length as this article was previously tagged as being too long? Wafflefrites (talk) 11:54, 10 May 2024 (UTC)

That is a small paragraph summarising thousands of years of history, I think it is very concise, and smaller than a lot paragraphs in other ledes or even in this lede. Are citations included when discussing the article length?

Is that not a basic fact backed up by sources, therefore not needing to be in the body as per WP:Lede? Regardless I agree it needs to be mentioned in the body of the article, I'll work on it now. Alexanderkowal (talk) 12:28, 10 May 2024 (UTC)

@Alexanderkowal: Please revert first and seek consensus, rather than the other way around. As much as I agree with the framing of your edits, but this is really overdetailed. Lede should be as brief and factual as possible, without any analyses or the mention of multiple other things. Makeandtoss (talk) 12:52, 10 May 2024 (UTC)

I'll shorten the final sentence to

...Arab population, a central component of what is known as the Nakba in Palestinian society.

Alexanderkowal (talk) 13:10, 10 May 2024 (UTC)

Still overdetailed, especially the cosmopolitan and the whole Nakba thing. Makeandtoss (talk) 13:15, 10 May 2024 (UTC)

They're small one clause sentences. The cosmopolitan part summarises the effect lots of different ruling empires had on the region and links that sentence back to the region/rounds it off. The Nakba sentence is just a few words long to add a highly relevant page link. Furthermore, the paragraph still remains quite short. Alexanderkowal (talk) 13:21, 10 May 2024 (UTC)

I changed very to fairly cosmopolitan Alexanderkowal (talk) 13:25, 10 May 2024 (UTC)

I'm trying to think of a couple words we could add to imply previous Jewish migrations such as after the Spanish inquisition Alexanderkowal (talk) 13:29, 10 May 2024 (UTC)

I am ok with shortening the sentence and don’t mind keeping the link to Nakba, but I will admit I my reasoning is completely biased, so I cannot really provide appropriate reasoning on that. Please see WP:LENGTH for article length guidelines. Wafflefrites (talk) 13:18, 10 May 2024 (UTC)

The guidelines are quite ambiguous, there might be a way to include the information in this paragraph with less words without killing the flow but I'm not seeing it Alexanderkowal (talk) 13:24, 10 May 2024 (UTC)

It’s under WP:SIZERULE. I can check the length later and trim appropriately if needed. I think I am ok with keeping the link to Nakba because the link was previously in the lead and seemed important to some editors, but that is pretty much the reason. Probably need additional feedback from others. Wafflefrites (talk) 13:33, 10 May 2024 (UTC)

I think the part saying in Palestinian society is key to state the perspective Alexanderkowal (talk) 13:35, 10 May 2024 (UTC)

Would it not be easier to trim the sections down a little rather than the lede?

Also would very cosmopolitan be lede worthy? The only reason I put fairly was because I only had two sources. I suppose the word assimilated alludes to this, idk, but it wasn't necessarily the various empires causing this but waves of migration Alexanderkowal (talk) 19:34, 10 May 2024 (UTC)

I do really think this is key to the history of Israel/Palestine region and I'm amazed it wasn't already talked about in the article. Also, I don't understand why you referenced malaria Alexanderkowal (talk) 19:36, 10 May 2024 (UTC)

I am not familiar with that part of the history. Is it in the Wikipedia article for Palestine (region)? I mentioned malaria because I am wondering how cosmopolitan the region was if malaria was endemic. Also I am wondering if the cosmopolitan part is not mentioned because this article is mostly focusing on the region when it was/is named Israel. Wafflefrites (talk) 21:04, 10 May 2024 (UTC)

I suppose it’s the age old focus on political history rather than social history Alexanderkowal (talk) 21:12, 10 May 2024 (UTC)

@Wafflefrites how about rewriting the sentence that lists empires and replacing it with:

Located at a continental crossroad, the southern Levant came under the rule of many different empires, such as the Assyrian, Babylonian, Achaemenid, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine empires, the Arab Caliphates, Crusaders, Ayyubids, Mamluks and the Ottomans, with its wide array of holy sites in various faiths attracting waves of immigration throughout history.

This leads into the next sentence well and flows well, and we could trim the 26 words from elsewhere. Alexanderkowal (talk) 21:01, 10 May 2024 (UTC)

I would remove “many” and “its wide array of” for concision Wafflefrites (talk) 21:06, 10 May 2024 (UTC)

Agreed, I suppose 'many' is rendered superfluous by the long list immediately after Alexanderkowal (talk) 21:16, 10 May 2024 (UTC)

What I'm seeing is mass changes by 2 new editors....... let's make sure we give good edit summaries. And let's make sure if there are reverts this is not taking personally....we can discuss things. Moxy🍁 03:57, 11 May 2024 (UTC)

Yeah sorry I get impatient Alexanderkowal (talk) 06:50, 11 May 2024 (UTC)

Obv the premise for discussion shouldn’t be me defending changes but rather multiple people contributing to a consensus on the changes Alexanderkowal (talk) 13:11, 11 May 2024 (UTC)

The list of empires wasn’t random, it was a list of empires in the order of those that ruled over the region. I really don’t think it makes sense for this period of history to be entirely ignored here. Alexanderkowal (talk) 05:24, 13 May 2024 (UTC)

I agree with the copyedit; naming the various empires is unnecessary detail for the lead; "many different empires" is better. Although, I think even better would be improved by mentioning (in some brief formulation) that the different empires included Jewish, Islamic, Christian, and "other" empires. The whole "crossroads of three continents" thing. It explains why the area is important to Jews, Muslims, Christians, and others. Levivich (talk) 06:05, 13 May 2024 (UTC)

I agree with that, although the many different empires refers to the time period after Judah. I think that would have to be in the first sentence of the paragraph Alexanderkowal (talk) 06:26, 13 May 2024 (UTC)

How about “… Holy Land, and has been controlled by Jewish, Muslim, and Christian polities throughout history.” Alexanderkowal (talk) 06:30, 13 May 2024 (UTC)

On whether to include the Nakba pagelink in this paragraph in the lede:

Israel is located in a region known historically as Canaan, Palestine, and the Holy Land. In antiquity, it was home to several Canaanite, and later, Israelite and Judahite states, and is referred to as the Land of Israel in Jewish tradition. Situated at a continental crossroad, the southern Levant subsequently came under the rule of different empires, such as the Assyrian, Babylonian, Egyptian, Achaemenid, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Rashidun, Umayyad, Abbasid, Fatimid, Seljuk, Crusader, Ayyubid, Mamluk and Ottoman empires. The late 19th century saw the rise of Zionism in Europe, a movement seeking a Jewish homeland, which garnered British support during World War I. During the war, British occupation led to the setting up of Mandatory Palestine in 1920. Increased Jewish immigration combined with British colonial policy led to intercommunal conflict between Jews and Arabs.^[1][2] The 1947 UN Partition Plan triggered a civil war between the two groups, which saw the expulsion and flight of most of Mandatory Palestine's predominantly Arab population, known as the Nakba,^[3][4][5] while a minority remained and became Arab citizens of Israel.^[6]

Alexanderkowal (talk) 14:01, 12 May 2024 (UTC)

I'm linking to this on Talk:Nakba and Talk:Zionism in the hope we can build a strong consensus on this issue. Alexanderkowal (talk) 14:06, 12 May 2024 (UTC)

Can someone more experienced and more neutral than me please take over and manage discussion Alexanderkowal (talk) 14:12, 12 May 2024 (UTC)

Is this supposed to be an WP:RFC? See WP:RFCOPEN. And where is the WP:RFCBEFORE? (ie Is this even disputed by anyone other than yourself?) Selfstudier (talk) 15:04, 12 May 2024 (UTC)

I don’t dispute it, I’m for its inclusion. Two people have stated either opposition or wariness. Alexanderkowal (talk) 15:19, 12 May 2024 (UTC)

There is a weak consensus at the moment to include it. On such a controversial issue, a strong one is infinitely better although the merit of this RfC would depend on a good facilitator and efforts to build a consensus from both sides. Alexanderkowal (talk) 15:22, 12 May 2024 (UTC)

You misunderstand me, where is the discussion where any editor queried the inclusion of the word nakba? Selfstudier (talk) 15:54, 12 May 2024 (UTC)

It was reverted with a valid reason, I reinstated it due to weak consensus and started this RfC so as to hear arguments Alexanderkowal (talk) 16:03, 12 May 2024 (UTC)

If all we are talking about is an insertion, a removal and a reinsertion without any subsequent discussion, then there is presumed consensus.

Btw, if the removal was for a valid reason, then it would have been better, although not compulsory, to have started the discussion per WP:BRD.

But if there is no current discussion, then this RFC is not required and you should close it (remove the RFC tags). Selfstudier (talk) 16:19, 12 May 2024 (UTC)

I’ll close it and maybe reopen it if there’s further disagreement Alexanderkowal (talk) 16:42, 12 May 2024 (UTC)

• Yes, include -- this is a different article from 1948 Palestinian expulsion and flight, so it makes sense to mention Nakba in the lead. --K.e.coffman (talk) 03:05, 13 May 2024 (UTC)
• Oppose, this is redundant, we already mention the 1948 Palestinian expulsion and flight. HaOfa (talk) 18:07, 19 May 2024 (UTC)

  This is a discussion not an RFC so no need for support/oppose comments. Selfstudier (talk) 18:17, 19 May 2024 (UTC)

  Would it be an improvement if it were to say:

  known as the Nakba in Palestinian society.

  in order to make it clear that that article is written from the Palestinian perspective, and frame it. If this were done, would you support its inclusion in the lede here? Alexanderkowal (talk) 18:21, 19 May 2024 (UTC)

  that article is written from the Palestinian perspective If that's true, add some other perspectives so that it isn't. Selfstudier (talk) 18:25, 19 May 2024 (UTC)

  I have stated that the Israeli perspective on the Nakba, current and past, should be included in the body and the lede of the article. It's too intense a topic for me to write on it without a deeper understanding. Until then, I do think it'd be good to frame the article here. This also clearly differentiates it from the expulsion and flight article, so the reader understands why we included them both. Alexanderkowal (talk) 18:32, 19 May 2024 (UTC)

  Nope, you can't frame the article as not being NPOV merely because it hasn't been edited to your satisfaction, that's not the way it works. Selfstudier (talk) 18:35, 19 May 2024 (UTC)

  Of course you can, this is entirely how it works, via consensus of editors. If multiple editors question the NPOV of an article, it gets an NPOV banner until that is addressed. I think the Nakba article is very good article, and it's right that the bulk should be written from the Palestinian perspective, but there also needs to be a bit from the Israeli perspective, that isn't just apologia. Alexanderkowal (talk) 18:39, 19 May 2024 (UTC)

  this is entirely how it works, via consensus of editors. If multiple editors question the NPOV of an article, it gets an NPOV banner If that was the way it worked, every contentious article would have a permanent NPOV tag. O3000, Ret. (talk) 18:43, 19 May 2024 (UTC)

  Ahaha true Alexanderkowal (talk) 18:44, 19 May 2024 (UTC)

  There is no neutrality tag at the Nakba article, therefore it is NPOV and not written from the Palestinian perspective only. If you add such a tag, then go to the article and explain what needs to be fixed there and it will get fixed, either way it is not "Palestinian". Selfstudier (talk) 18:43, 19 May 2024 (UTC)

  I'll move discussion to that page and clarify my argument. Alexanderkowal (talk) 18:45, 19 May 2024 (UTC)

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There is a typo. JewIsh instead of Jewish. Please fix it. Grakkus (talk) 16:17, 20 May 2024 (UTC)

done Sean.hoyland (talk) 16:44, 20 May 2024 (UTC)

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The page states that Israel is located in the historic Canaan and “Palestine” areas. This is supposed to be “Judea” as historically “Palestine” only existed as a British Mandate from 1918-1948. Please update this language to be historically accurate as Canaan and Judea are the correct terms for this point in Israel’s history. Canaan does not exist today, and the land of Judea is where Israel currently exists. (Submitted by a Middle East historian) 98.246.173.176 (talk) 13:39, 23 May 2024 (UTC)

Not done. Unsourced opinion. Selfstudier (talk) 13:48, 23 May 2024 (UTC)

@Alexanderkowal: The lede is a summary, and your recent edits do not treat it as such. Makeandtoss (talk) 14:38, 28 May 2024 (UTC)

Can you specify which edits? The sentence about migration after WW2 has a paragraph on it in the body. I admit my incentive to edit was not to summarise the body but make a good summary of the topic, and that that is problematic. There should be a paragraph about the rise of antisemitism in Europe which gives context to the climate that Zionism was born in and popularised in. Whether I can write that and do it justice, idk, although the research is easy Alexanderkowal (talk) 14:50, 28 May 2024 (UTC)

@Alexanderkowal: The recent edits are overdetailed and editorial, please summarize as follows:

• From "Situated at a continental crossroad, the southern Levant came under the rule of many different empires, such as" to "The southern Levant came under the rule of many different empires, such as"
• From " with holy sites of various faiths attracting waves of immigration throughout history." to "with holy sites of various faiths" [all countries have witnessed waves of immigration throughout history, nothing special here]
• From "Increased Jewish immigration and British colonial policy of divide and rule led" to "Increased Jewish immigration and British policies led to"
• From "most of Mandatory Palestine's predominantly Arab population, known as the Nakba in Palestinian society, however a minority remained and became Arab citizens of Israel." to "most of Mandatory Palestine's predominantly Arab population, also known as the Nakba"

Makeandtoss (talk) 12:30, 11 May 2024 (UTC)

I agree with the first change but not the others.

The point of the sentence on waves of immigration is to allude to it being historically ethnically diverse, and page link to a relevant page on social history of the region.

For the British policy one, maybe just page link to divide and rule through British colonial policy? I’m surprised the British empire page doesn’t have a section on their style of rule in comparison to other colonial empires.

The one about Arab citizens of Israel is key to clarify, although it is controversial due to the accusations of apartheid. I think it’s very open to discussion Alexanderkowal (talk) 12:59, 11 May 2024 (UTC)

I fixed the Nakba one, not just known to Palestinians, to many. Selfstudier (talk) 13:14, 11 May 2024 (UTC)

I think that sentence was key to stating the perspective, and it is predominantly and primarily known in Palestinian society Alexanderkowal (talk) 13:20, 11 May 2024 (UTC)

That is just false. Selfstudier (talk) 13:21, 11 May 2024 (UTC)

My point is that the English Wikipedia reader is unlikely to have heard of it Alexanderkowal (talk) 13:25, 11 May 2024 (UTC)

There are many things that an English reader might not have heard of, Aliyah for example, but both these things are explained in the text so not a problem. Selfstudier (talk) 13:32, 11 May 2024 (UTC)

the Aliyah page is linked to via "Jewish migration" precisely because an english reader is unlikely to have heard it. Alexanderkowal (talk) 14:22, 11 May 2024 (UTC)

Its loci is in Palestinian society, just like the loci for the much wider known holocaust is in Israeli society. Any remembrance of Nakba is focused on Palestinian society Alexanderkowal (talk) 13:30, 11 May 2024 (UTC)

I thought you just made your point, is this another one? How many do you have? Selfstudier (talk) 13:33, 11 May 2024 (UTC)

Yes and you'd do well to address it. Alexanderkowal (talk) 14:21, 11 May 2024 (UTC)

@Alexanderkowal: As seen here there is no consensus for "in Palestinian society" so please remove it. Makeandtoss (talk) 08:10, 12 May 2024 (UTC)

There also wasn’t consensus for him to remove it, but since I initially acted without consensus I’ll revert.

I have a really hard time knowing when consensus has been reached as people often don’t admit defeat in an argument when the outcome is binary Alexanderkowal (talk) 09:18, 12 May 2024 (UTC)

I added it because I felt I’d totally refuted his points or argument, if I had left it a day with no response would that have been the time to change it? Alexanderkowal (talk) 09:20, 12 May 2024 (UTC)

Nothing was refuted, merely asserted.the loci for the much wider known holocaust is in Israeli society Jews everywhere, I would have thought. Any remembrance of Nakba is focused on Palestinian society, see The U.N. is marking the 75th anniversary of Palestinians' displacement Selfstudier (talk) 09:38, 12 May 2024 (UTC)

I assumed your comment decrying my persistence was admission of refutation. I know Nakba is quite widely commemorated, especially in the Muslim world, however the loci is very important, Palestinians primarily commemorate it, if they stopped everyone would stop. The link you put also emphasises Palestinian society Alexanderkowal (talk) 09:57, 12 May 2024 (UTC)

No-one disputes that Palestinians commemorate the Nakba. That was not the objection, it was the idea that Nakba is known only to Palestinians. In any case, that sort of detail is not necessary in the lead. Selfstudier (talk) 10:05, 12 May 2024 (UTC)

it introduces the perspective of the Nakba article, and page links to Palestinian which is necessary for Israel's lede. Note that it isn't linked elsewhere Alexanderkowal (talk) 10:12, 12 May 2024 (UTC)

The Nakba link is sufficient for the perspective. The reason that Palestinians are not linked anywhere is due to the practice of referring to them as Arabs "which saw the expulsion and flight of most of Mandatory Palestine's predominantly Arab population" for example, that "Arab population" is Palestinian, and the vast majority of "Arab citizens of Israel" are as well Palestinian. But it is not crucial for this article, links to the conflict, the territories and the hr issues are sufficient imo. Selfstudier (talk) 11:07, 12 May 2024 (UTC)

I'll page link Palestinians from Arab Alexanderkowal (talk) 11:10, 12 May 2024 (UTC)

No such thing as "defeat in an argument". On Wikipedia in particular decisions are made by consensus and consensus involves following the guidelines and making compromises. Also familiarize yourself with WP:1RR. Makeandtoss (talk) 11:24, 12 May 2024 (UTC)

What if you're discussing something with someone and they don't reply Alexanderkowal (talk) 11:41, 12 May 2024 (UTC)

Also you removed the bit on waves of migration without consensus, I do really think this Demographic history of Palestine (region) needs to be linked to. I think putting

... and experienced waves of migration.

with waves of migration linking to the page. This leads into the next sentence very well Alexanderkowal (talk) 11:47, 12 May 2024 (UTC)

Sorry, but not only are you editing aggressively and without compromise, but also without regard to any WP guideline. It is you who inserted the waves of immigration bit without consensus. You have also violated -and continued to violate- 1RR multiple times despite being told to familiarize yourself with it. I won't be filing a complain at WP:AE, but someone eventually will and AE will outright sanction you. Makeandtoss (talk) 13:42, 12 May 2024 (UTC)

I agree I made an error in my first few edits and that this has wrongly changed the premise of discussion. However I started this discussion on the talk page and multiple editors have critiqued the edits and not stated opposition to certain inclusions, meaning there is a weak consensus, and I continue to engage in discussion. Can you please address my initial comment. Alexanderkowal (talk) 13:52, 12 May 2024 (UTC)

I hope any administrator would recognise that I am editing in good faith. Alexanderkowal (talk) 13:56, 12 May 2024 (UTC)

Gave a better wikilink for British policy. Selfstudier (talk) 13:20, 11 May 2024 (UTC)

In retrospect the ‘situated at a continental crossroad’ explains the succeeding sentence about why it came under the rule of lots of empires, but if you do still feel it’s too editorial than we can remove it Alexanderkowal (talk) 13:04, 11 May 2024 (UTC)

The bit on the social history is context for the region having no real owner until the rise of ethnonationalism in the 19th century Alexanderkowal (talk) 13:08, 11 May 2024 (UTC)

Ottoman Empire owned it for centuries, that's a real owner. Levivich (talk) 13:11, 17 May 2024 (UTC)

My understanding is that it was more cosmopolitan than other regions, and the many series of migrations it saw meant that there wasn’t really an exclusive ethnic ownership Alexanderkowal (talk) 14:00, 17 May 2024 (UTC)

I don't follow how migration or demographics means there wasn't exclusive ownership. The migrants didn't own or control the land. New York City is a cosmopolitan city with lots of migrants; it's still owned and controlled by the USA. Exclusively. Levivich (talk) 22:24, 17 May 2024 (UTC)

It’s just my impression, it might be wrong. If New York City had changed hands 10s of times over the course of a millennium combined with waves of immigration and emigration I can imagine how strong ownership wouldn’t be felt. I suppose the Ottomans held onto Palestine for long enough for it to change. Alexanderkowal (talk) 07:25, 18 May 2024 (UTC)

I don’t know whether the nominal ownership by Turkish, and the Arab population, would’ve negated sentiment of ownership Alexanderkowal (talk) 07:30, 18 May 2024 (UTC)

I suppose they possibility of losing something doesn’t always make people loosen their grip Alexanderkowal (talk) 08:07, 18 May 2024 (UTC)

In the next paragraph I think it should mention that there was immigration to Israel from people displaced by WW2 (and the holocaust) Alexanderkowal (talk) 15:02, 12 May 2024 (UTC)

@Alexanderkowal: Since the "with holy sites of various faiths attracting waves of immigration throughout history." has no consensus, please have it removed. Makeandtoss (talk) 15:02, 14 May 2024 (UTC)

Okay, can we discuss it? I can look through sources Alexanderkowal (talk) 15:05, 14 May 2024 (UTC)

• states "Typical of the cities of the Levant was a mixed population. ‘Levantine’ was an omnibus term used especially to refer to the Armenian, Greek, Italian and Jewish merchants...Conversions of individuals from one cultural environment to the next and back again were everyday occurrences. A new light is shed on minorities here. Neither marginalised nor treated as objects of tolerance or intolerance, in a social system based on communication and flexibility, they were the system's pillars and driving force." That's just in the abstract, I don't have access to the article
• states "Anyone who studies the material culture of Egypt and the Levant will agree that migration, trade, translation, and assimilation were common practice." unsure if this is talking generally or about the first millennium BC
• states "Migrants of various ethnic, religious and social origins made their way to Palestine, or crossed it while heading to other locations, or relocated their place of permanent residence, virtually in any given period between the mid-seventh century and the turn of the twelfth, as well as later on." I don't have access so can't see it talk about motives
• states "the westward migration of the Jewish merchants from Iraq [during the 10th century]...contributed greatly to the economic prosperity in Palestine and Egypt"
• states "This means that the peoples living here have an identity distinct from the neighboring peoples but they have nevertheless always had an ongoing exchange through trade, inter�marriage, migration, exile, and displacement with many of the other regional peoples."

It appears Arabs migrated for economic prosperity, so saying holy sites was wrong. It is a good page to link to though. I do think mention has to be made of migration from across the old world, or something referring to it being cosmopolitan and relatively diverse. Alexanderkowal (talk) 15:41, 14 May 2024 (UTC)

Again, that is not how WP works. When material is challenged, reversion first and then discussion per WP:BRD. Even if true, it is not a unique piece of information and does not belong to the lede of Israel. Makeandtoss (talk) 15:47, 14 May 2024 (UTC)

?? I did revert it. I then started discussion. Please WP:Assume good faith Alexanderkowal (talk) 16:05, 14 May 2024 (UTC)

I only noticed now. I am not arguing against the factuality, but against the prominence of this to the summary of an article about Israel. Makeandtoss (talk) 09:49, 15 May 2024 (UTC)

It's context for the later Zionist migrations. Palestine was fairly cosmopolitan and was effectively built on migration with no real indigenous people compared to other regions. Alexanderkowal (talk) 10:17, 15 May 2024 (UTC)

I don't see the connection with Zionist migrations. On the contrary genetic evidence has shown that Palestinians show a large degree of genetic continuity with Bronze era Levantines. Still not relevant to the lede of the state of Israel. Makeandtoss (talk) 10:20, 15 May 2024 (UTC)

Of course it is relevant, it summarises the social history of the region. If you disagree with the phrasing then we can rework it, but the content is very relevant in my view. Alexanderkowal (talk) 10:23, 15 May 2024 (UTC)

How would you summarise the social history of the region? I think the clause would have to refer to flow (migration) and stock (settled population), however I don't know where to place the emphasis. I think indicating ownership of the region by an ethnic group violates NPOV for this article and would also be WP:Synth. Maybe talking indirectly about the population and stating the Islamisation of the region? I think that's a good compromise Alexanderkowal (talk) 10:56, 16 May 2024 (UTC)

"ownership of the region"? "social history of the region"? I really don't see any of this as due for the lead. Selfstudier (talk) 11:07, 16 May 2024 (UTC)

The social history of the region is discussed in the body and the lede and it’s incredibly relevant to the conflict. It doesn’t make sense to only start talking about social history from the 19th century when the periods before that are so relevant. Alexanderkowal (talk) 12:14, 16 May 2024 (UTC)

Palestinians were the indigenous people of Palestine. Levivich (talk) 13:12, 17 May 2024 (UTC)

Agreed, but it’s not as clear cut as other regions, and I think it’s natural for Israel’s page to have a slight Zionist bias. I’m more trying to correct for the lack of Zionist voices on this page, which I find surprising, to impale the content on the fence Alexanderkowal (talk) 13:58, 17 May 2024 (UTC)

I’m more trying to correct for the lack of Zionist voices on this page Seriously? Selfstudier (talk) 14:13, 17 May 2024 (UTC)

? The only people I’ve engaged w on this page have been very anti-Israel, as much as I disagree with Zionism, particularly this manifestation of Zionism, in order to maintain NPOV Zionist arguments need to be involved and the grains of truth in them used, if what we’re trying to do is build a neutral encyclopaedia. Alexanderkowal (talk) 14:22, 17 May 2024 (UTC)

The other way of looking at it is there are a lot of pro Israel (not Zionist) editors at this page (there are) but they don't agree with you. Selfstudier (talk) 14:27, 17 May 2024 (UTC)

I haven't received much disagreement, I'm surprised the Nakba inclusion didn't need an RfC. Also, see WP:Enemy Alexanderkowal (talk) 14:32, 17 May 2024 (UTC)

I haven't received much disagreement except from the very anti-Israel people who have engaged with you? Think you better ease off with the them and us rhetoric, tbh. Selfstudier (talk) 14:36, 17 May 2024 (UTC)

Yeah you’re probably right, it’s just the topic is often very partisan. I wouldn’t say I’m an us, more an irrelevant bystander with no deep understanding Alexanderkowal (talk) 14:58, 17 May 2024 (UTC)

in order to maintain NPOV Zionist arguments need to be involved and the grains of truth in them used No, that's not WP:NPOV. The "V" in NPOV is the viewpoints of reliable sources, not the viewpoints of the subjects of the articles. Levivich (talk) 22:22, 17 May 2024 (UTC)

There are many RS that have a Zionist view or bias, including academic sources Alexanderkowal (talk) 07:27, 18 May 2024 (UTC)

See Israel#Modern period and the emergence of Zionism.

I think this article should mention the motives for the Arab migrations from the 7th to 12th centuries. Alexanderkowal (talk) 10:19, 15 May 2024 (UTC)

Why? Selfstudier (talk) 10:37, 15 May 2024 (UTC)

because it's relevant detail and I think it's a question the reader might have. Just say for economic prosperity I think Alexanderkowal (talk) 10:40, 15 May 2024 (UTC)

@Makeandtoss I disagree with your reversion of my edit, the Islamisation of the region does summarise content in the body and is entirely relevant and lede worthy as it provides context for the current conflict. I don't understand your argument here, it seems a very common sense inclusion. Unless you think there's negative connotations with the term "Islamisation"? Alexanderkowal (talk) 18:28, 19 May 2024 (UTC)

Same applies to paganism, Judaism and Christianity. Makeandtoss (talk) 08:34, 20 May 2024 (UTC)

It’s included there as context for the subsequent sentences. Would you rather it referred to Arab migrations rather than Islamisation? Alexanderkowal (talk) 08:40, 20 May 2024 (UTC)

How about:

with the region having received many Jewish immigrants displaced in Europe during the Second World War

I’d argue this is more lede worthy than the exodus from the Muslim world, it also page links to a relevant page on Jewish history Alexanderkowal (talk) 10:36, 28 May 2024 (UTC)

You can’t have a summary of Israeli history without mentioning WW2 Alexanderkowal (talk) 10:37, 28 May 2024 (UTC)

Btw feel free to revert my edit about migration following WW2, I altered it so 1RR doesn't apply, but I should've discussed it first. Why don't you feel migrations should be included in the lede? It seems a central component of Israeli history Alexanderkowal (talk) 12:13, 28 May 2024 (UTC)

"It seems like..."? Respectfully, I think you should read/learn more about this before making or proposing changes to these articles. Like: how many Jews moved to Israel, when, from where, and according to what sources? There is a lot of literature on these topics, the answers are complex, and they may surprise you. Levivich (talk) 13:19, 28 May 2024 (UTC)

That's valid, however my statement there is correct. The migration from Europe occurred largely from 1920 to 1953. The Aliyah#Early statehood (1948–1960) section has a table that shows where they migrated from, and how many, from 1948-1953, with 338,000 total from Europe. Ofc there was migration to Palestine during the war and before, which I struggled to include in my edit without splitting it into two sentences in different places. Bricha and Aliyah Bet discuss this. My edit was based off of what I read on wikipedia, ideally I'd be more knowledgeable and accustomed with the topic. Alexanderkowal (talk) 13:37, 28 May 2024 (UTC)

That's why I wrote "... and according to whom?" If you are reading things on Wikipedia articles and then changing other Wikipedia articles based on that, that's not a good approach. WP:Wikipedia is not a reliable source, and that table, for example, is itself not very well sourced. Not terribly sourced, it's sourced to scholarship at least, but it seems to have one source, a paper, that's 20 years old. There are many entire books written about this, and history is always updated, so there are just better sources available for these numbers. And of course not all the sources agree with each other. And then there's context (which Wikipedia articles are particularly lacking in): 338k out of how many total? While there is no disputing that the Holocaust was very important to the history of Israel, IIRC it's also true that most Holocaust survivors did not move to Israel (many more went to the US, for example), and most Jewish immigrants to Israel were not Holocaust survivors.

Don't get me wrong, I think it's great that you're volunteering to improve these articles, but the best way to go about that is sources->body->lead, of the same article, as opposed to changing the lead (or body) of one article just based on what it says in another article. (Keeping in mind that main articles will often have better information than sub-articles, but not always, which is why one always has to check the sources.) And sources, plural, never depending on just one source. Sources from a variety of viewpoints, not just one American, Israeli, or Palestinian author. And preferably, best sources, not just "any" paper or book.

IMO, the best way to figure out what to write about immigration in the Israel article is to take a few recent books about Israel's history from the most reputable scholars from a variety of viewpoints, and see what they say about immigration, and then summarize that. Levivich (talk) 14:37, 28 May 2024 (UTC)

Okay I'll do more research in the future, thank you. Yeah cherry picking sources isn't the best way to go about it. In the sources I gave, one was from an Israeli journal, and one was critical of Israeli exceptionalism so I thought it was a wide consensus.

Pogrom#Europe after World War II lists pogroms after WW2, and a lot of Jewish migration was prior to the Holocaust Alexanderkowal (talk) 14:43, 28 May 2024 (UTC)

Yup, and also, off the top of my head, one thing sources from the '90s may not accurately capture (as compared to sources from, say, the last 10 years) is the significance of post-Soviet Jewish migration to the current demographics of Israel. IIRC, more Russian Jews came in the '90s and 2000s than Holocaust survivors in the '40s and '50s. How much a Wikipedia article talks about one wave of migration vs another should be based on how the current best sources treat the issue. And seriously, thanks for volunteering to work on this, Wikipedia could use all the help it can get. Levivich (talk) 15:05, 28 May 2024 (UTC)

Yeah, I'm surprised at the lack of active editors, no worries, I'll look into it. Thanks for the advice Alexanderkowal (talk) 15:11, 28 May 2024 (UTC)

My impression does seem to be accurate, and I was very confident on it despite the weasel wording

is a journal article with the title: Immigration is Israel's History, So Far

is a book titled: Country on the Move: Migration to and within Israel, 1948–1995

is critical of Israeli exceptionalism and states: Migration has been a major social issue in Israel for well over 50 years. Indeed,its centrality in the value context of the society goes back to well before the establishment of the state in 1948 (Leshem and Shuval (Eds), 1998). Alexanderkowal (talk) 14:06, 28 May 2024 (UTC)

My edits on the word 'pre-emptively' were wrong and naive, I just wanted to counter the narrative that people flee their homes willingly Alexanderkowal (talk) 14:11, 28 May 2024 (UTC)

Maybe it's not the best place to open the discussion, but let's have it started.

Regarding maps of towns & regions:

It is important to have the main features on the map also on the other side of border or armistice lines. For the PA these are Palestinian towns & Israeli settlements, elsewhere Lebanese etc. towns, trans-border roads etc. Why? Because white surfaces aren't informative. There is peaceful and violent interaction across those lines - main roads into the West Bank, border crossings, common industrial zones, border incidents (shooting, terror attacks, IDF incursions, historical battles), ecological issues, and so forth. One comes here for inf. and gets - hic sunt leones.

Use a different colour, of course - keep the white or whatever - but border or armistice lines are porous, not the ultimate confines of Flat Earth. We should only add important features, but those are needed. If a selection or graphic alteration is too difficult to achieve, technically or otherwise, then keep all there is, but in pale grey. Arminden (talk) 10:15, 29 May 2024 (UTC)

Concrete example. One reads about shooting from Tulkarem toward Bat Hefer. Going to B.H. page, there is no Tulkarem on the map/location plan. Current solution:

1. go to coordinates
2. choose type of map
3. figure out places, often spelled differently.

Tulkarem is a big town, should be on that sketchy map/location plan. Arminden (talk) 10:23, 29 May 2024 (UTC)

Hopefully this is uncontroversial and accurate, but I am open to guidance if mistaken.

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Please make the following change to the article:

Infectedfreckle (talk) 00:59, 30 May 2024 (UTC)

 Done ABG (Talk/Report any mistakes here) 03:29, 30 May 2024 (UTC)

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In the second paragraph from the top, in the middle of that paragraph there is a misspelling of "Gaza Sctrip" should be "Gaza Strip". Wasphilux (talk) 05:04, 7 June 2024 (UTC)

Wasphilux, fixed. Thanks. Pincrete (talk) 05:14, 7 June 2024 (UTC)

Why does the lede now jump from 1,000 BC to 1896? 3,000 years of the ancient and modern history of the Palestine region summarized in 8 words of "subsequently came under the rule of various empires."? Makeandtoss (talk) 15:04, 7 June 2024 (UTC)

Because the ancient history is relevant to zionism, the founding ideology of the state of Israel. I'd personally like another clause adding to it that it involved many different cultures also? Alexanderkowal (talk) 15:35, 7 June 2024 (UTC)

The purpose of lede is to summarize the body, not to highlight history relevant to Zionism. Ledes should not be biased by giving more prominent weight to 3,000 year defunct civilizations at the expense of Palestine's 3,000 year most recent and relevant history. Makeandtoss (talk) 15:39, 7 June 2024 (UTC)

WP:Common sense please, this is not an article on the region Alexanderkowal (talk) 15:41, 7 June 2024 (UTC)

Definition of a state: a political entity that rules over a territory. The history of that territory is the history of the state. Makeandtoss (talk) 15:44, 7 June 2024 (UTC)

I disagree. For example, the history of the United States doesn't involve telling the history of the indigenous peoples the United States took land from. Mention it, yes, but not in detail. Levivich (talk) 15:48, 7 June 2024 (UTC)

Sorry for using WP:Common sense, your arguments are of course common sense Alexanderkowal (talk) 15:55, 7 June 2024 (UTC)

@Alexanderkowal: Also, again, when your edits are reverted, you are kindly mandated to discuss them, not re-insert them. This has happened multiple times now, so you are kindly requested to again read WP:BRD and WP:ARBPIA, and conform to these guidelines. Makeandtoss (talk) 15:40, 7 June 2024 (UTC)

I never make the same edit twice, if I feel a proposal has been changed to address concerns raised, I then apply it as a different edit, which people can of course revert whilst adhering to the 1RR, and continue discussion, if people think I acted improperly or too hastily in a particular instance please tell me Alexanderkowal (talk) 15:44, 7 June 2024 (UTC)

An insertion is one edit, a reversal of its removal is another edit. That's two and that is contrary to WP:BRD. Makeandtoss (talk) 15:45, 7 June 2024 (UTC)

If I've changed it considerably in tone and content, is that still a reversal of removal, especially if I didn't apply it in the first place? Alexanderkowal (talk) 15:58, 7 June 2024 (UTC)

It is, since the removal was based on the whole mention of this. Makeandtoss (talk) 16:24, 7 June 2024 (UTC)

So should I have instead started a new topic on the proposal? Alexanderkowal (talk) 16:26, 7 June 2024 (UTC)

2nd paragraph 1st & 2nd sentences contain easy-to-fix redundancies.

current: Israel is located in a region known historically as Canaan, Palestine, and the Holy Land. In antiquity, it was home to several Canaanitecity-states, and later, Israelite and Judahite kingdoms, and is referred to as the Land of Israel in Jewish tradition.

suggested edit: Israel is located in a region known historically as Canaan, Palestine, the Holy Land, and the Land of Israel.

‘Canaanite city states’ is redundant with ‘historically known as Canaan’ ‘Israelite and Judahite kingdoms’ is redundant with Land of Israel

Even ‘in antiquity’ is redundant with ‘historically’

It feels odd to go out of our way to say it’s known as the Land of Israel in Jewish tradition, but not mention that ‘the Holy Land’ is primarily from Christian tradition. Since we’re trying to trim the lede, better to remove the lone line about Jewish tradition than add extra words explaining the traditions of the other names. 2601:80:8600:EFA0:918E:34E3:B31B:62A0 (talk) 16:59, 7 June 2024 (UTC)

I agree with those edits apart from removing the "Israelite and Judahite kingdoms" bit, as it is a short clause and is central to zionism, the founding ideology of Israel Alexanderkowal (talk) 17:16, 7 June 2024 (UTC)

In response to edit requests from non EC editors, either fulfill the edit request or do not, discussion is not required as non EC editors cannot engage in it anyway. Selfstudier (talk) 17:55, 7 June 2024 (UTC)

How about "Land of Israel in antiquity" so it's clear it's a very old name? Alexanderkowal (talk) 17:55, 7 June 2024 (UTC)

See above comment. Selfstudier (talk) 17:55, 7 June 2024 (UTC)

I just assumed he was EC, my bad Alexanderkowal (talk) 17:58, 7 June 2024 (UTC)

Not sure if Holy Land is primarily Christian, but in regards to “Land of Israel” or specifically “Israel”... the Quran mentions Banī Isrāʾīl(Arabic: بني إسرائيل, lit. 'The Children of Israel'). Not sure if the Isra’il in the Quran is referring to a name for the region or the name of Jacob. Wafflefrites (talk) 18:23, 7 June 2024 (UTC)

The lede has been recently expanded in a way that goes into excessive details, against four well-composed paragraphs recommended by MOS:LEDE and the 400 word ideal maximum by MOS:LEADLENGTH. Makeandtoss (talk) 15:37, 7 June 2024 (UTC)

What do you identify as excessive detail? Alexanderkowal (talk) 15:39, 7 June 2024 (UTC)

Mentions of the Holocaust, European antisemitism, Jewish immigration from Arab countries, Jewish immigration from Europe; all of this is irrelevant to the article, does not summarize the body proportionately, and is overly-detailed. Makeandtoss (talk) 15:42, 7 June 2024 (UTC)

I disagree that it is irrelevant, however the history section needs to be edited to go into detail about migrations, it is a core part of Israel's history. The body also needs to discuss the climate Zionism was born in, in the Rise of nationalism in Europe in the 19th century and the accompanying rising antisemitism. Alexanderkowal (talk) 15:48, 7 June 2024 (UTC)

I disagree with all of that as well. That's all relevant to the topic "State of Israel." Levivich (talk) 15:49, 7 June 2024 (UTC)

Not relevant enough, nor featuring in body prominent enough, for it to be added to the lede, a summary of the body, in this way. Makeandtoss (talk) 15:51, 7 June 2024 (UTC)

If other people agree with you, I'd be okay with removing the sentences on immigration until the body is edited Alexanderkowal (talk) 15:54, 7 June 2024 (UTC)

I think it's absolutely nonsense to suggest that European pogroms, the Holocaust, or immigration to Israel, are not significant aspects of Israel. I think basically any book or article about Israel is going to mention those three things. We can compare sources if there are any that back up your view? Levivich (talk) 16:00, 7 June 2024 (UTC)

I think his point is that if these are significant to Israel, why are they not more prominent in the body Alexanderkowal (talk) 16:01, 7 June 2024 (UTC)

The body is a giant mess. Just look at the history section, for example. But even still, in the section "Modern period and the emergence of Zionism" there is an entire paragraph about immigration and pogroms. The next section, "British Mandate for Palestine," has two paragraphs about immigration and demographics. The next section, "Establishment and early years," has a paragraph about the Holocaust (which is also mentioned in several other places). But more to the point, WP:ASPECT and WP:DUE are measured against sources. The body needs to be recalibrated to match the sources. I maintain that there literally does not exist a scholarly summary of Israel or the history of Israel that omits pogroms, Holocaust, and immigration. The pogroms and the Holocaust are foundational events leading to the creation of Israel, and immigration is a significant aspect of any country, for obvious reasons, namely that demographics are a significant aspect of any country, and immigration is like half of demographics (the other half being native-born residents). Levivich (talk) 16:09, 7 June 2024 (UTC)

I think we need to work on that collaboratively with a wide range of editors after the rfc is finished Alexanderkowal (talk) 16:14, 7 June 2024 (UTC)

That RFC is finished :-) The even split between A and B is unlikely to change. But, yeah, I agree with you. The right move is to collect some top sources about Israel and examine them to see what are the significant WP:ASPECTs and WP:DUE viewpoints, and then edit the body and the lead accordingly. Although it's usually "body first," there is something to be said for taking the "lead first" approach here (because the body is a giant task). Levivich (talk) 16:23, 7 June 2024 (UTC)

Okay, later today I'll try and compile some works on Israeli history here and once we have a sort of syllabus we can start a new topic, and notify wikiprojects Alexanderkowal (talk) 16:38, 7 June 2024 (UTC)

FYI there are some at Talk:Israel/Archive 94#Brief summaries of Israel and the next section down after that. Levivich (talk) 16:41, 7 June 2024 (UTC)

thank you Alexanderkowal (talk) 16:43, 7 June 2024 (UTC)

So what I've got so far:

• "The modern history of Israel" (Lucas, 1975)
• "A history of Israel : the birth, growth, and development of today's Jewish state" (Samuel, 1989)

There are many more here

And Talk:Israel/Archive 94#Brief summaries of Israel for tertiary sources Alexanderkowal (talk) 09:05, 8 June 2024 (UTC)

I am sure that you agree that a disagreement in opinion should not lead to uncivil remarks about absolute "nonsense". And yes, they are not significant aspects of Israel. The USA, the world's largest and most notable immigrant nation, does not mention immigration anywhere in its lede. European pogroms and the Holocaust are European history, not Israeli history. Why are we giving 4 years of European history more weight than 3,000 years of Palestinian history? Makeandtoss (talk) 16:22, 7 June 2024 (UTC)

Saying an argument is nonsense is not uncivil. The reason we would give more weight to the Holocaust than to Palestinian history is because the sources do. Levivich (talk) 16:24, 7 June 2024 (UTC)

Sources discussing Israel and the Holocaust does not mean the Holocaust is central to Israel. There are plenty of sources giving more weight to Israel's 1982 and 2006 invasions of Lebanon and the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Why is the Holocaust, on European territory, more important than those that occurred on Israeli territory? Makeandtoss (talk) 16:27, 7 June 2024 (UTC)

I didn't say "sources discussing Israel and the Holocaust." I said, above, "top sources about Israel." In other words, the WP:BESTSOURCES for this article. Namely, we're looking for summaries of Israel, such as other encyclopedia articles (see WP:TERTIARY: Reliable tertiary sources can help provide broad summaries of topics that involve many primary and secondary sources and may help evaluate due weight, especially when primary or secondary sources contradict each other.), scholarly books about the state of Israel (particularly their tables of contents and introductions), articles in journals that provide an overview of the state of Israel. These are the WP:BESTSOURCES for this article, and what we should look at when determining questions of due weight (WP:DUE) and significant aspects (WP:ASPECT). The problem with this article, for years, is that everybody wants to argue about Israel but nobody wants to do the work of pulling the books and reading. One possible starting point would be a Table of Contents Analysis (like this or this). Another is to look at other encyclopedia articles (as was done here). Levivich (talk) 16:37, 7 June 2024 (UTC)

Comparison with other tertiary sources is a great way to see if we're on the right track, balance-wise. Happy to see you dig up that analysis of yours from last year. Most of the six encyclopedias you checked (at a glance, 5/6) have a brief mention of the Holocaust, not always referencing that term exactly. The current line seems about right. Firefangledfeathers (talk / contribs) 16:53, 7 June 2024 (UTC)

Thanks. Current line seems about right to me, too; or in other words, a one-sentence or less-than-one sentence mention seems like the right amount. Levivich (talk) 19:03, 7 June 2024 (UTC)

I don't think the lede can possibly exclude Jewish immigration from Arab and European countries (and I don't understand how you can argue it's "irrelevant to the article"). Zanahary (talk) 03:28, 8 June 2024 (UTC)

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Third lead paragraph has an extra comma that should be deleted, since it doesn't fulfill any grammatic prupose:

The West Bank and Gaza Strip, were taken by Jordan and Egypt respectively.

Also at the end of second lead paragraph, there should probably be a comma and a while instead of an extra and to separate different events. I think it reads better like this:

led to intercommunal conflict between Jews and Arabs,[26][27] while the 1947 UN Partition Plan triggered civil war between them.

Thanks--2800:2503:4:DEA7:1:0:C9BA:5F63 (talk) 23:35, 13 June 2024 (UTC)

 Done, thank you. I went with two sentences instead of "while." Levivich (talk) 23:52, 13 June 2024 (UTC)

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• What I think should be changed (format using {{textdiff}}):

  −

  It has one of the highest standards of living in the Middle East and Asia, and ranks as one of the most advanced countries.

  +

  It has one of the highest standards of living in the Middle East and Asia, ranks as one of the most advanced countries, and is considered both a regional and middle power.

• Why it should be changed: The articles for Regional power and Middle power list Israel as an example of each. However, the introduction of the Israel article does not mention its status as a regional or middle power. This is inconsistent with, for example, the page for Iran whose introduction describes Iran as a regional power, the page for Saudi Arabia whose introduction describes it as a regional and middle power, and the page for Canada, whose introduction describes it as a middle power.
• References supporting the possible change (format using the "cite" button):

For middle power: ^[1][2][3]

For regional power:^[4]

rdl381 (talk) 09:12, 15 June 2024 (UTC)

 Not done: I do not think this adds much to the article, as "middle power" and "regional power" are loosely defined phrases, and in fact should probably be removed from other articles in favour of a short description of what makes them a power. For example, the article on the United Kingdom does not say the country is currently a global power (it does mention it was the world's foremost power during the colonial period), instead it mentions The UK is a developed country and has the world's sixth-largest economy by nominal gross domestic product (GDP). It is a recognised nuclear state, and is ranked fourth globally in military expenditure. The UK has been a permanent member of the UN Security Council since its first session in 1946. It is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the Council of Europe, the G7, the OECD, NATO, the Five Eyes, AUKUS and the CPTPP. This to me makes the United Kingdom's status as a global power quite clear without having to use another loosely defined term, and is an example that should be followed with most articles in my opinion. Adam Black ^{talk • contribs} 12:30, 15 June 2024 (UTC)

I very much agree with this: description > labels. Too often Wikipedia articles rely on labels. Levivich (talk) 15:43, 15 June 2024 (UTC)

• • Good idea as its a massive academic topic with multiple disciplines that is the norm in fully developed FA articles like Canada, Japan, Australia and Germany....however its status as a regional power is debatable so its been omitted from the lead as it needs context...Kappel, Robert (2014). "Israel: The Partial Regional Power in the Middle East". Regional Powers in the Middle East. New York: Palgrave Macmillan US. p. 145–161. doi:10.1057/9781137484758_8. ISBN 978-1-349-50355-1. Mark Heller stated that Israel has the power to block, but not the power to shape the regional order. Although its power is impressive "and almost certainly sufficient to defend its security against threats by others" (Heller 2011: 238), Israel is not a regional power that is able to manage the regional order. It tries to prevent the emergence of any other power that could seriously damage it, but has no soft or smart power, as this contribution will show..
  • As for middle power it could be added but the body should cover the context as our FA articles do Canada#Foreign relations...need to mention its middle power status is based on arm sales. Shymanska, Alina; Heo, Changbae (May 4, 2022). "Arms sales as a middle-power strategy: the case of Israel". Israel Affairs. 28 (3): 452–463. doi:10.1080/13537121.2022.2066861. ISSN 1353-7121. Israel's sales of advanced arms and technology as a middle-power foreign policy tool. By way of doing so it discusses the nature and characteristics of this policy, as well as its various components, and assesses the extent of its success in achieving its goals. It concludes that despite Washington's occasional opposition to its arms export policies, Israel's strategy has proved highly successful and can serve as a model for middle powers seeking to improve their status and prestige in the contemporary international system.
  • In my POV the UK article is a bad example as it just a list of various organizations and forums WP:COUNTRYLEAD......need real info ...some meat if you will that FA articles now have ...
  • Example:

Y year = 2024 A developed country, Canada has a high nominal per capita income globally and its advanced economy ranks among the largest in the world, relying chiefly upon its abundant natural resources and well-developed international trade networks. Recognized as a middle power, Canada's strong support for multilateralism and internationalism has been closely related to its foreign relations policies of peacekeeping and aid for developing countries. Canada is part of multiple international organizations and forums.

N year = 2019 A highly developed country, Canada has the seventeenth-highest nominal per-capita income globally and the sixteenth-highest ranking in the Human Development Index. Its advanced economy is the tenth-largest in the world and the 14th for military expenditure by country, Canada is part of several major international institutions including the United Nations, NATO, the G7, the Group of Ten, the G20, the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement, the Commonwealth of Nations, the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, and the Organization of American States.

Moxy🍁 16:29, 15 June 2024 (UTC)

FYI, I have added a </small> tag to your last post. You used two <small> tags but only one </small> tag, which would have incorrectly formatted all subsequent content on this page as small. I think I've placed it correctly, but thought I'd mention it in case you intended more of the text to be small.

Regarding my example of the UK article, it is far from perfect. I am not surprised it has failed two FA nominations, been delisted as a GA and failed three GA nominations. However, rather than describing the UK as some type of power it provides details of why the country is powerful. Yes, it could be significantly better but I really don't think adding "the United Kingdom is a great power" would be in any way an improvement. This extract from the article power (international relations) probably best highlights why I think it is pointless (formatting added to highlight most relevant section):

• Those states that have significant amounts of power within the international system are referred to as small powers, middle powers, regional powers, great powers, superpowers, or hegemons, although there is no commonly accepted standard for what defines a powerful state.

Why highlight something in country articles (particularly featured country articles) for which there is no widely accepted definition? Adam Black ^{talk • contribs} 21:35, 15 June 2024 (UTC)

Agree on this, "middle power" and "regional power" are the sort of terms where any paper discussing them will have to self-define how they use those terms. They are not appropriate or helpful to readers on high-level articles. CMD (talk) 23:52, 15 June 2024 (UTC)

Be hard pressed to find any academic publication about foreign relations of a country that doesn't use these terms. Best lead our readers to academic terms so they can learn for themselves. Moxy🍁 11:37, 16 June 2024 (UTC)

The Routledge Handbook on Israel's Foreign Relations does not use "middle power". It does use "regional power", the slightly more intuitive term. Israeli Foreign Policy since the End of the Cold War does not seem to use either. At any rate, the articles should be accessible to as many readers as possible, and if a term is ambiguous or needs further definition it is likely more concise to simply undertake the relevant description. CMD (talk) 14:58, 16 June 2024 (UTC)

Very interesting .....I guess for some countries its simply more clear and the starting point to describe foreign relations. Canada McKercher, B.J.C. (2012). Routledge Handbook of Diplomacy and Statecraft. Routledge handbooks. Taylor & Francis. p. 131. ISBN 978-1-136-66437-3. Moxy🍁 13:33, 17 June 2024 (UTC)

The article has a multitude of tags. Some may not be a game changer by themselves but together they add up. Other issues are long ongoing and may (probably alright with some) prevent actual article improvements until some editors take a stand. This article enjoyed "Featured Article" status from May 2007 until June 2010 so what happened?

This article fails the B-class criteria of 4 and maybe a little arguably 5 out of 6 points.

• 1)- Articles with dead external links from 2017 and 2024,
• 2)- Articles with unsourced statements from March 2024,
• 3)- Articles lacking reliable references from January 2023 and February 2023,
• 4)- Wikipedia articles in need of updating November 2021, March 2023,
• 5)- The article is tagged with "potentially dated statements" from 2007, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2021, December 2022, October 2023.
• 6)- Articles with "specifically marked weasel-worded phrases" from January 2024

Add to this the issues with the lead and the incessant want or need of some editors to keep the article embroiled in other issues like adding "too much detail" reflected in multiple RFC's to clutter the lead that is also covered in MOS:LEADNO which is under the subheading of "Relative emphasis" that is covered by both the NPOV policy on "Due weight" and our wording of "indiscriminate detail". Read the paragraph on "equal validity" can create a false balance (False balance) and check out extraordinary claims.

If there are active editors on a page then either following BRD or simple talk page inquiries would be the normal way for possible article expansion, and not RFC's on every aspect right off the bat. A main reason we have WP:BRD is to prevent or otherwise hamper article improvements with too many rules. See WP:RFCNOT. Surely this makes sense: An RFC is one of the options for Wikipedia:dispute resolution. How can a RFC be used as a first line if there has been no dispute? -- Otr500 (talk) 00:02, 17 June 2024 (UTC)

• Note: It seems I am not alone concerning RFC's. I just saw "RFC: How should the Nakba described?" with comments, "this is a wholly unnecessary RFC, the previous discussions on this page show no disagreement with this by anyone other than opener", by Selfstudier. I just keep seeing RFC's over suggested edits, when there was no previous reverted edit or discussion, so no way there could be a "disagreement" or conflict. It is not used very often, that I have found, but Wikipedia:Editing policy would be a good policy for everyone to read or reread. -- Otr500 (talk) 09:04, 18 June 2024 (UTC)

We have discussed this before (see here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Israel/Archive_103#History_section), but I'm realizing now that even the work of the traditionalist historians (eg Shapira and Karsh) start their history of israel in the late 19th century. It might also be worth noting that Britannica starts the history section around the same time period.

So, I propose the reduce the first 3 subsections (Bronze and Iron Ages, Classical antiquity, and Late antiquity and the medieval period) to a single paragraph the reason being that the majority of the sources cited do not discuss the modern state of Israel. The content does not belong here unless RS connect the discussion to the modern state.

No part of the first paragraph uses sources that refer to the modern state.

Content worth keeping in the following paragraphs, which has some relevance to the modern state:

Modern archaeology has largely discarded the historicity of the narrative in the Torah concerning the patriarchs, The Exodus and the tales of conquest in the Book of Joshua, and instead views the narrative as the Israelites' national myth. However, some elements of these traditions do appear to have historical roots.

and:

In 634–641 CE, the Rashidun Caliphate conquered the Levant. Over the next six centuries, control of the region transferred between the Umayyad, Abbasid, Fatimid caliphates, and subsequently the Seljuks and Ayyubid dynasties. The population drastically decreased during the following several centuries, dropping from an estimated 1 million during Roman and Byzantine periods to about 300,000 by the early Ottoman period, and there was a steady process of Arabization and Islamization brought on by non-Muslim emigration, Muslim immigration, seeking economic prosperity, and local conversion. The end of the 11th century brought the Crusades, papally-sanctioned incursions of Christian crusaders intent on wresting Jerusalem and the Holy Land from Muslim control and establishing Crusader States. The Ayyubids pushed back the crusaders before Muslim rule was fully restored by the Mamluk sultans of Egypt in 1291.

which explains to some extent a transition into the modern era.

Otherwise, these sections are totally disconnected from the modern state and the content simply does not belong here.

It's possible that some of the sources I was not able to check *do* connect the discussion to the modern state, but the content currently does *not* do that. So we either fix that, or dramatically reduce the content in this section.

I would make the edits myself, but I know they would be instantly reverted. DMH223344 (talk) 20:14, 17 June 2024 (UTC)

The well-established practice for country articles (and other geopolitical articles) is to cover the history of the area rather than just the history of the current polity. If the sections are disconnected that means there is a missing throughline from then to now. Overall the section does need shortening, however this is due to the overall length, and is unlikely to get that length of time down to one paragraph. CMD (talk) 03:19, 18 June 2024 (UTC)

I can understand covering *some* history of the land, but dwelling on it for 3 subsections is excessive. This should be brought down to 1-2 paragraphs at most (even that is pushing it if the sources do not connect the history to the current state). For example the page about the United States has a single paragraph about pre-european-settlement history (as does Canada). DMH223344 (talk) 03:32, 18 June 2024 (UTC)

I agree it is excessive, but this is a reflection of the entire >5000 word section rather than being subsection-specific. Canada's entire section is about half that. CMD (talk) 03:39, 18 June 2024 (UTC)

Well the rest of the history section might have too much detail, but that's a different issue. Here we are talking about content that doesnt belong, rather than the inclusion of unnecessary details. DMH223344 (talk) 04:03, 18 June 2024 (UTC)

In that case, per standard practice it does belong, as it does on the other pages you mentioned. CMD (talk) 04:16, 18 June 2024 (UTC)

what? DMH223344 (talk) 04:28, 18 June 2024 (UTC)

Support - history section is way, way too long and spends way, way too much text on ancient history. Levivich (talk) 12:10, 18 June 2024 (UTC)

Support if two more sentences are added to the first paragraph regarding Israel and Judah, and summarise Jewish history up to Muslim conquests. Alexanderkowal (talk) 15:22, 19 June 2024 (UTC)

Oppose, I don't see any need to remove extremely relevant historical facts. The articles for two other modern states home to ancient civilizations, Egypt and Greece, has about the same length of ancient history. HaOfa (talk) 17:13, 19 June 2024 (UTC)

I'll have to check the sources and discussion in those articles, but on first glance one difference that stands out is the mostly continuous timeline in both of those articles. The history section here has a huge leap in time. In any case, the narrative we share here should match up with that presented in RS, which as I've shown primarily starts with the late 19th century. DMH223344 (talk) 17:34, 19 June 2024 (UTC)

Some other tertiary sources:

• Britannica: This discussion focuses primarily on the modern state of Israel. For treatment of earlier history and of the country in its regional context, see Palestine, history of. The nation of Israel is the world’s first Jewish state in two millennia. It represents for Jews the restoration of their homeland after the centuries-long Diaspora that followed the demise of the Herodian kingdom in the 1st century CE. As such, it remains the focus of widespread Jewish immigration. (then goes into modern history)
• Encyclopaedia.com starts their history section: The independence of the State of Israel in 1948 was preceded by more than a half century of efforts by Zionist leaders to establish a sovereign state as a homeland for dispersed Jews. The desire of Jews to return to their biblical home was voiced continuously and repeatedly after the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in 70 c.e. and dispersed the population of Roman Palestine. Attachment to the land of Israel (Eretz Yisrael) became a recurring theme in Jewish scripture and literature. Despite the ancient connection, it was not until the founding of the World Zionist Organization by Theodor Herzl near the end of the nineteenth century that practical steps were taken toward securing international sanction for large-scale Jewish resettlement in Palestine.
• New world encyclopedia: Pre-human occupation of the land area that became the state of Israel dates back to 200,000 B.C.E. Jewish tradition holds that the Land of Israel has been a Jewish Holy Land and Promised Land for four thousand years, since the time of the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob). The land of Israel holds a special place in Jewish religious obligations, encompassing Judaism's most important sites (such as the remains of the First and Second Temples of the Jewish People). The first historical record of the word "Israel" comes from an Egyptian stele documenting military campaigns in Canaan. This stele is dated to approximately 1211 B.C.E.

Starting around the eleventh century B.C.E., the first of a series of Jewish kingdoms and states established intermittent rule over the region that lasted more than a millennium.

Under Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, and (briefly) Sassanid rule, Jewish presence in the region dwindled because of mass expulsions. In particular, the failure of the Bar Kokhba's revolt against the Roman Empire in 32 C.E. resulted in a large-scale expulsion of Jews. It was during this time that the Romans gave the name “Syria Palaestina” to the geographic area, in an attempt to erase Jewish ties to the land.

Nevertheless, the Jewish presence in Palestine remained constant. The main Jewish population shifted from the Judea region to the Galilee. The Mishnah and Jerusalem Talmud, two of Judaism's most important religious texts, were composed in the region during this period. The land was conquered from the Byzantine Empire in 638 C.E. during the initial Muslim conquests. The Hebrew alphabet was invented in Tiberias during this time. The area was ruled by the Omayyads, then by the Abbasids, Crusaders, the Kharezmians and Mongols, before becoming part of the empire of the Mamluks (1260–1516) and the Ottoman Empire in 1517.

Alexanderkowal (talk) 17:52, 19 June 2024 (UTC)

Cool examples. I think something similar, summarizing the Jewish history and importance of the region for Jewish identity etc., should appear in two-three sentences in the second paragraph of the lead. HaOfa (talk) 19:25, 19 June 2024 (UTC)

Let's keep the discussion focused on the history section for now DMH223344 (talk) 19:31, 19 June 2024 (UTC)

I agree, and then this can be expanded on in the history section instead of having a "History of the Land of Israel" Alexanderkowal (talk) 19:38, 19 June 2024 (UTC)

I think there also needs to be more emphasis on the various migrations to Israel in the body Alexanderkowal (talk) 19:49, 19 June 2024 (UTC)

I like the NWE passage as a model for scope and depth. Levivich (talk) 23:57, 19 June 2024 (UTC)

413,471 bytes and 717 references, in my opinion, are too many. JacktheBrown (talk) 14:28, 19 June 2024 (UTC)

Surely it's only to do with words and the limit is 15,000? The article has 16,500 if I paste it into Word Alexanderkowal (talk) 15:20, 19 June 2024 (UTC)

@Alexanderkowal: yes, too many in my opinion. JacktheBrown (talk) 15:21, 19 June 2024 (UTC)

The above topic discusses trimming some of the history section Alexanderkowal (talk) 15:25, 19 June 2024 (UTC)

Idk how many times we have had "the history is too long" discussion and nothing ever gets done about it.Selfstudier (talk) 15:40, 19 June 2024 (UTC)

@Selfstudier: exactly, inconceivable! JacktheBrown (talk) 15:52, 19 June 2024 (UTC)

That’s not how you do it. WP:TOOBIG has a web based tool. If you read that section and use the tool, current article length is not 16.5 k words. the current size is less than 15k Wafflefrites (talk) 15:45, 19 June 2024 (UTC)

@Wafflefrites: for the Italy page this "problem" was solved immediately; why should the Israel article be treated differently? JacktheBrown (talk) 16:09, 19 June 2024 (UTC)

Page length is not measured in bytes or references, that was the wrong way to go about it Alexanderkowal (talk) 16:26, 19 June 2024 (UTC)

Can you please point me to the Wikipedia policy or guideline that says there is a problem? It would make sense there would be pushback if there actually isn’t a problem…it would be creating extra work.

Also where is the edit diff on Italy where you tagged it as being too long? You can definitely start trimming the Israel page if you think it’s too big as consensus is also achieved through editing. Wafflefrites (talk) 16:28, 19 June 2024 (UTC)

@Wafflefrites: I didn't tag the Italy article as too long: Article too big. JacktheBrown (talk) 16:38, 19 June 2024 (UTC)

Thanks, I see one of the other editors involved replied directing the conversation to readable prose size and for you to make suggestions on the talk page concerning what you would like to trim. Do you have any suggestions on what to trim in the article? Wafflefrites (talk) 16:44, 19 June 2024 (UTC)

@Wafflefrites: definitely a part of "History "; I don't have much knowledge about Israel, but I'm sure, as others have rightly pointed out, the "History" paragraph is too long. JacktheBrown (talk) 17:08, 19 June 2024 (UTC)

Given the History section has it's own article, some trimming should be fairly uncontroversial providing all of the key information is retained and useful, relevant content is not removed from the encyclopedia entirely (i.e. it is still available to read in the History of Israel article). Adam Black ^{talk • contribs} 17:17, 19 June 2024 (UTC)

@Adam Black: exactly, the same was done in the Italy article. JacktheBrown (talk) 17:33, 19 June 2024 (UTC)

Maybe the Italy article has an editor who is familiar with Italy’s history and would know what to trim. We did have an editor on this Israel page who was familiar with Israeli history and would have been helpful in summarizing/making things more concise, but he was blocked as a suspected sock puppet. I have edited on Wikipedia 3 times as an IP on the same device, same internet and all my IPs were different, so I don’t know how this sock puppet thing works. There were other editors familiar with Israeli history but they were blocked or sanctioned for other reasons, and I am not sure if they would have been as helpful in trimming since their edits on Israel/history were more detailed. Wafflefrites (talk) 18:39, 19 June 2024 (UTC)

This page is in need of more input from Israelis/neutral experts on Israel. Everything about Israel seems to come with controversy, it's very hard to separate the conflict from the other content as it's all consequential. I don't know what the solution is for this page. Alexanderkowal (talk) 19:11, 19 June 2024 (UTC)

@Wafflefrites: Who was this editor? Anyway, I think a sock-puppet usually refers to using multiple accounts with the same IP address, so if you're using one account on different devices and IPs, that shouldn't be an issue from what I know. HaOfa (talk) 19:41, 19 June 2024 (UTC)

But if he wasn't logged in on other devices it may be sockpuppeting if used to change consensus no? Alexanderkowal (talk) 19:42, 19 June 2024 (UTC)

I am confused how they determine sock puppets because there isn’t a way to identify them by IP if the IP sometimes changes. Also if he was student and there were other editors at the same university, it is possible he could be mistaken as a puppet. The editor was User:HaNagid. he did seem to get into content arguments a lot, but his edits were concise and he was good at putting in helpful links.

I think trimming parts of or summarizing the ancient history should not be controversial. it is a lot of info. But when editors want to remove it completely that is when people start arguing about removing it entirely or not, so that probably caused most of the controversy in the past. Wafflefrites (talk) 19:56, 19 June 2024 (UTC)

@Wafflefrites: I don't know him, but I'm sorry that Wikipedia has lost a user who could have improved this (very important) article. JacktheBrown (talk) 20:05, 19 June 2024 (UTC)

He was good at trimming history, see here ! He trimmed it! Wafflefrites (talk) 21:24, 19 June 2024 (UTC)

(Increased space) @Wafflefrites: but is he a native Israeli? JacktheBrown (talk) 21:35, 19 June 2024 (UTC)

@Wafflefrites: perhaps also "Government and politics". JacktheBrown (talk) 17:15, 19 June 2024 (UTC)

The Israeli-occupied, International opinions, Demographics and Economy sections do have some WP:OVERCITE. You are certainly welcome to start trimming the History or any other section. I have done many edits on this article recently including trimming the entire article and nobody reverted me. I think as long as your edits are neutral, non controversial, and adhere to policy, it usually isn’t a problem. Wafflefrites (talk) 17:54, 19 June 2024 (UTC)

just make sure to do edit summaries, even if only brief or abbreviations, I suck at that Alexanderkowal (talk) 17:56, 19 June 2024 (UTC)

My best guess is yes, it seemed like he was very familiar with the history and he said “ My focus here is on contributing to Jewish history in Mediterranean communities, ancient Judaism, and current events, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I maintain particularly close ties with Jewish institutes in Jerusalem, drawing extensively from their resources.” He would have been helpful with trimming and summarizing the ancient history. Wafflefrites (talk) 22:18, 19 June 2024 (UTC)

I think all agree that WP:COUNTRYSIZE is a concern here. What would be helpful is actual suggestions of texts to be included or excluded ...... reworked section prose would be helpful. Ping @Nikkimaria: as she's being mentioned here in a roundabout way and her expertise of country articles maybe a benefit here. 😀Moxy🍁 19:54, 19 June 2024 (UTC)

@Nikkimaria just fyi, there're ongoing discussions to add a summary of the culture section to the lede and to rewrite the pre-Zionism history Alexanderkowal (talk) 20:00, 19 June 2024 (UTC)

I've taken a stab at condensing the history section. Nikkimaria (talk) 00:57, 20 June 2024 (UTC)

Great work! There are a few bits of information which should probably be left in so I'll add them, but all in all excellent job. Uppagus (talk) 09:47, 20 June 2024 (UTC)

Indeed, we have been making observations here more than taking the initiative, perhaps because of the presence of so many issues, most importantly, which was previously brought up multiple times, is the 3,000 year jump from the first millennium BC to roughly Herzl's 1896 book, exemplified in the lede: "Situated at a continental crossroad, the region was then ruled by various empires. Amid European antisemitism, the late 19th century saw the rise of Zionism,".

A state is a polity that rules over a geographic body. That geographic body's history is a major part of any state's history. Whether it corresponds to the modern nation-state's current identity is not relevant. The history of a land is history, it cannot be changed, or ignored. Although indeed the history section is bloated, and has been helpfully condensed, it still ignores to a large degree that 3,000 year history of Palestine, land of Israel, or whatever you want to call it, which not only undermines the article's credibility but also misses out on extremely relevant information; more relevant certainly than European antisemitism or Jewish exodus from Arab countries. Makeandtoss (talk) 13:19, 21 June 2024 (UTC)

can you give some examples of what extremely relevant information is omitted? Alexanderkowal (talk) 13:24, 21 June 2024 (UTC)

Most notably, of course, is the fact that the land had been under the rule of caliphates for millennia, with a brief rule by a crusader state. These civilizations, along with notably the Greek and Roman ones, have left a plethora of ruins and historic sites, more than the ones that existed in antiquity. This is for the lede, as for the body, which the lede should reflect, due proportion to the more recent and relevant 3,000 year history should be given there. Makeandtoss (talk) 13:30, 21 June 2024 (UTC)

I agree but getting the right weight would very difficult. I propose just having a sentence saying that

Throughout history the region was ruled by pagan, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim states, and it holds a special place in Jewish tradition.

Alexanderkowal (talk) 13:44, 21 June 2024 (UTC)

I don't think it is difficult, it existed, before it was recently removed from the lede. Makeandtoss (talk) 13:48, 21 June 2024 (UTC)

Is that satisfactory? Alexanderkowal (talk) 13:48, 21 June 2024 (UTC)

I think this is totally unnecessary here, every area in the Europe, North Africa and the Middle East was ruled by different empires. In most of the period from the Islamic conquest up to the modern era, don't forget, this area was a backyard of empires, with just a third of its population in ancient times. The lead should focus on the historical periods relevant for understanding modern Israel. ABHammad (talk) 06:36, 22 June 2024 (UTC)

Arguably the whole history is relevant for understanding modern Israel, do you mean Zionism? Alexanderkowal (talk) 10:01, 22 June 2024 (UTC)