[WikiEN-l] Public note to Jtdirl

Thu Aug 21 00:10:15 UTC 2003

>
>Dear Jtdirl,
>
>A couple of weeks ago I reacted to your remarks concerning
>the Israel page. I saw a small number of similarities
>between what you were writing and what a small group of
>other people were writing, and I mistakenly inferred that
>you had the same beliefs as them.
>
>However, I have re-read your statements, and have come to
>the conclusion that I was in error. When you challenged my
>work, I can see now that you were trying to do so from the
>perspective of an essayist trying to maintain NPOV. I thus
>apologize to you for my earlier comments.
>
>BTW, I am sending you this note in public, on the WikiEn
>list, because I made remarks about you on this list. It
>isn't proper to say one thing in public, but then take it
>back in private.
>
>Robert ("RK")
>
I sent a reply yesterday to Robert's note but it never came back to me on 
the wiki list, which messages I send invariably do. It could be that my 
account was jammed with all these annoying large virus files that were sent 
to me (but never opened, just deleted on sight!!!), or that something went 
wrong and it never did the wiki-list rounds. In case of the latter, let me 
repeat:

Thank you Robert. I appreciate your comments.

In addition, I meant to say but didn't get around to it - to apologise 
publicly for an accusation made publicly is a difficult act, and to my mind, 
the act of a gentleman.

I can understand why Robert acts emotionally to what sees as anti-semitic 
comments, given the horror suffered by the Jewish people within living 
memory. We owe Robert the sensitivity of understanding his reaction. I do 
not believe that there are many anti-semitic people on wiki. I hope Robert 
will understand that all criticism of Israel or indeed of his opinion is not 
automatically intended to be anti-semitic but may be motivated by a sense of 
belief that some articles, understandably if written by someone from one 
side of the divide, may seem to be less than fully NPOV, albeit 
unintentionally. I am glad that Robert now understands that my edits were 
not in any way, shape or form intended to be POV, but to add additional NPOV 
information in. I hope we can all develop a constructive working 
relationship in editing all the many articles that touch on the whole 
Israeli-Palestinian issue.

Again, Robert, thank you for your comments. As far as I am concerned all our 
past disputes are closed and forgotten.

JT

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