93.184.3.98

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to request permission to edit the Wikipedia page of our organization, PYALARA (Palestinian Youth Association for Leadership and Rights Activation) because the page contains false and incriminating information. Between 2010 and 2011 there was a serious case of vandalism committed on the Wikipedia page of our organization as can been seen in following link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestinian_Youth_Association_for_Leadership_and_Rights_Activation.

We understand that the allegations made against PYALARA on the Wikipedia page were made by the organization NGO Monitor who wrote about our organization following an incident in which a young and inexperienced volunteer at the organization created a poster that appeared to encourage violence towards Israel. The poster showed an Israeli flag and an axe to promote boycotting settlement products which hamper the economic development of Palestine. Of course this was completely unacceptable and inappropriate for our organization because of the violent undertones of the image and therefore it was removed as soon as it was brought to the attention of the management. I must also emphasize that this singular incident happened many years ago and does not reflect the beliefs or conduct of PYALARA in its practice or intentions over the last two decades.

The Wikipedia article criticizes PYALARA, stating that the organization “glorifies terrorism” and refers to two articles. The first article was written by a young inexperienced youth for our youth magazine between 2010 and 2011. The criticism of the first article referencing Abu Ali Mustafa interpreted the article incorrectly as the article was intended to only inform Palestinian youths about the death of a previous Palestinian leader, not to honor his violent tactics. The second quotation was never published by PYALARA and is completely fabricated by our critics. Therefore, the criticism written on the PYALARA Wikipedia page does not fairly reflect the beliefs, conduct or intentions of our non-violent organization built up over the course of the last three decades. We have campaigned peacefully for the advancement of Palestinian rights, supported the empowerment of hundreds of Palestinian youths and condone violence and therefore it is factually incorrect to portray PYALARA in this way. Of course is extremely harmful to our reputation and perceived integrity on both a national and international level and will naturally hinder the reach and potential of the organization.

We are strategic partners of the UNDP and receive funding from the EU and other internationally recognized organizations and have even been endorsed by the former First Lady of the United States of America Hilary Clinton as can be seen in the following links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jxxXoIoYgw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhllgdwzvMA https://eeas.europa.eu/sites/eeas/files/final_report_mapping_update_2015-en.pdf (p69) Therefore it is irrefutable that PYALARA is not an organization that encourages terror acts otherwise we would not have the support of these high-profile actors.

The article also claims that PYALARA uses donated money to indirectly support terror attacks. This again is untrue. PYALARA ensures that all projects it supports undergo rigorous checks to ensure all of their aims are consistent with the non-violent aims of our organization. Indeed, to fund such acts or terror-supporting organizations would be entirely contradict the philosophy of PYALARA.

Furthermore, as an organization in ‘Area C’ of the West Bank, were we inciting violence against the Israelis, or posed any threat, we would have been closed down by the Israeli forces in the area many years ago. This again proves that criticism on the PYALARA Wikipedia page must be false.

As a growing organization, our reputation and integrity are of paramount importance. We understand that Wikipedia has an extensive international reach and is a very influential platform to spread ideas and information and therefore it is a matter of urgency for PYALARA that the Wikipedia article in question is corrected. We would really appreciate your help.

Yours sincerely,

Joan Safran PYALARA - Jabaa Jawwal: 0597531732 Tel: 2346710 Ext-113 Fax: 2346715 Email: j.safran@pyalara.org Email: joansafran95@gmail.com PYALARA1999 (talk) 12:30, 8 February 2017 (UTC)

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