The Association of Israeli Archivists has roundly condemned Wikimedia Israel, the local affiliate of the U.S. foundation that runs Wikipedia, for copying into its photo archive 28,000 photographs taken in pre-state Israel.
In a statement Tuesday, the archivists accused Wikimedia Israel of being “thieves in the night” and said the move may violate intellectual property rights and general ethical norms.
Wikimedia Israel denied any wrongdoing, but the archivists’ association said that although “all of us wish to make the materials and information st