Palestinian Interwar Press

Neutrality and Partisanship

The Palestinian political system during this period was split between two rival camps: the Majlisiyyun (parliamentarians) and the Mu'aridun (the opposition). Presenting itself as a neutral party, the press served as a third group mitigating internal conflicts and disagreements. However, the two camps enlisted professional journalists in their power struggle. Eventually, newspaper publishers and editors, and even regular journalists, served as members of the various national institutions representing the Palestinians. For example, the Palestinian Executive Committee, which was founded in 1920 and active until 1934, included as members the most senior journalists of the period: ‘Issa al-'Issa, ‘Izzat Darwaza, ‘Issa al-Bandak, and Boulous Shihada.

Despite its “integration” and involvement in internal disagreements, the press was critical of representative political institutions. At times, columnists advocated moves toward a tougher approach to the Mandate authorities, calling for the abandonment of collaboration and embracing more effective and even violent methods. The influence of the press increased with the weakening of the Palestinian Executive Committee, which dissolved after the death of its president, Mousa Kathim al-Husayni, in 1934.

Press Publishers

As a political family, the Husaynis represented a handful of Palestinian families engaged in newspaper publishing. During the Mandate, the Husaynis published several newspapers including al-Liwa (The Contingent), al-Shabab (youth), al-Wihda (Unity), and al-Wihda al-'Arabiyya (Arab Unity).

The Husaynis financially supported several journalists and editors, including Emil al-Ghouri. A U.S. graduate, he was instrumental in editing and shaping all the newspapers belonging to the Husayni camp after his return to Palestine in 1935. In addition, the Husaynis employed exiled journalists from neighboring Arab countries. The Palestinian press provided a haven of freedom for journalists such as Muhammad Chirqas, Othman Qasim, and Kamil ‘Abbas, and other experienced Arab journalists who relocated to Palestine such as Khayr al-Din al-Zirakli, Sami al-Sarraj, ‘Ajaj Nuwayhid, and Muhammad Chirqas.

The Palestinian press benefited from the well-established journalistic practices of Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq. Motivated by strong commitment to pan-Arab nationalism, those journalists contributed to the intensification of the pan-Arab [Page 382]orientation in Palestinian press during the latter half of the 1930s.

Contested Issues

The Palestinian press provided a platform for debating contested issues and reflected a microcosm of local and regional politics. One issue was the ideological orientation of the Palestinian National Movement: local Palestinian nationalism (watani-yya filastiniyya), the pan-Arab national orientation (qawmiyya ‘arabiyya), the pan-Islamic orientation (al-jami'a al-Islamiyya), or the Eastern League ideal (al-rabita al-sharqiyya). Another discussion centered on the relationship between Palestinians and British Mandate, also concerning the Palestinian position regarding the Jewish settlements.

In the 1920s, Filastin (Palestine) and Mir'at al-Sharq (Mirror of the East) represented local Palestinian nationalism. By the 1930s, Filastin retracted its support of this ideal and joined those stressing the pan-Arab ideal such as al-Yarmuk, and in certain instances al-Karmil. This tendency intensified with the publication of the newspaper al-'Arab (1932) of the al-Istiqlal (Independence) Party and reached its peak with the publication of al-Difa‘ (Defense) in 1934, as well as al-Kifah (Struggle) and al-Liwa (The Contingent) in 1935. The pan-Islamic current was represented mainly by al-Sirat al-Mustaqim (The Straight Path) from 1924 and al-Jami'a al-Islamiyya (Islamic Group) from 1932.

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