CHAPTER XIV : THE PRESS IN AL-QODS

Since Al-Qods has been an important religious and administrative centre, it also became an active and dynamic centre of culture and of journalism in the Ottoman era and throughout the British mandate. Thus various newspapers were published there for a long time. Some of these papers were private while others were official government papers. The most important papers were :

1. Al-Qods Al-Shareef

A monthly bilingual Arabic-Turkish paper which was created in 1876. The editor of the Arabic section was Sheikh 'Alî Ar-Rayhâouî and the editor of the Turkish section was Abdussalâm Kamâl.

2. Al-Ghazâl

An official monthly paper founded in 1876; its editor-in-chief was 'Alî Ar-Rayhâouî.

3. Al-Qods Al-Shareef

A newspaper published in Arabic by the governing authorities of Al-Qods. It started on September 1, 1903, and closed down in 1909.

4. Al-Asma'î

A bi-monthly review specialized in literary and social studies. It was issued in Al-Qods and Jaffa and its editor was Hannâ Abdullah Al-'خssî.

5. Al-Ahlâm

This is a paper which was issued in handwritten form. Its publication began on September 10, 1908, and ended on September 18, 1909.

6. Al-Qods

This paper was founded on September 18, 1908 and its editor was Jorjî Habîb Hanâniyyâ.

7. Ad-Dîkou As-Souyâh

Its first issue was published on November 1, 1908.

8. Al-Qods Al-Shareef

This is an official paper which was founded in 1913 and its editor was Sheikh 'Alî Ar-Rayhâouî.

9. Sourya Al-Janûbiyya

This paper was issued throughout 1919 and its editors were 'Aref Al-'Aref and Muhammad Hassan Al-Yadîrî.

10. Mir'ât Ash-Sharq

Based in Al-Qods, this paper was founded on September 17, 1919.

11. Beit Al-Maqdis

This paper was founded in 1919 and its editor was Yandalî Elîas Mashhour.

12. An-Najâh

Founded in 1908, this weekly paper covered issues in politics, science, and agronomy.

13. Al-Bulbul

This paper was created in 1908.

14. At-Tâ'ir

A paper founded in 1908.

15. An-Nafîr

This paper was created in 1908.

16. Al-I'tidâl

Initially based in Al-Qods, this paper subsequently moved to Jaffa. It was founded in 1910.

17. Ad-Doustûr

This paper was created on November 26, 1913. It was edited first by Khalîl As-Sakâkînî, then by Jamîl Al-Khâlidî.

18. Râ'id An-Najâh

This paper was issued in the 1910-1911 period. Among its editing committee members was Moussâ Al-'Alamî.

19. Al-Qâfila

This paper was founded jointly by the Board of Publications and the Palestinian Radio Agency; its editor-in-chief was Hassan Mustapha.

20. Ad-Dhakhîra

This paper was founded on October 8, 1946; its editor was Hussein Hosnî.

21. An-Nidâl

Issued in 1946, its owner and editor was Emile Al-Ghûrî.

22. Al-Watan

Based in Al-Qods, this paper was owned by Youssuf Haykal; its editor-in-chief was Zakî Nassîba. (448) 448. This information was drawn from a book in Arabic by the title of the Arabic Press in Palestine from 1876 to 1948, published by the General Association of Palestinian Writers and Journalists.

It should be noted that this proliferation of newspapers in Al-Qods was largely due to the creation of private printing houses, among which were that of Jorfî Habîb Hanâniyyâ (1894) and Bâssilâ Jad', and before these, the Roman Orthodox Printing Houses, and the Protestant Printing Houses (1867). After 1908, printing machines became widely available and almost every newspaper had its own printing facility. 1908 was a landmark in the Arabic press, for it was the year when the Ottoman Constitution allowed the publication of newspapers and granted freedom of expression to the press. Hence, in that year alone, 15 papers were issued, of which 12 were based in Al-Qods. These newspapers played a vital role in denouncing both the Zionists' intentions to judaicize Palestine and the migration of Jews to it. (449) With the outbreak of World War I in 1914, a state of siege was decreed and the publication of the newspapers based in Al-Qods was suspended. They were not back in publication until the beginning of the British mandate. (450) Various magazines and newspapers were published in Al-Qods under the British mandate because Arabic was acknowledged as the official language and the language used in the classrooms throughout the public school system. This situation has largely contributed to the stimulation of the population's patriotic feelings and to an intellectual and cultural renaissance.

The range of specialization and subject-matter was quite diverse as far as the press was concerned; hence, there were political, literary, economic, and religious papers, of which the most important were Sourya Al-Janûbiyya (1919), Al-Aqsâ (1920), As-Sabâh (1921), and Al-Jâmi'a Al-'Arabiyya (1927).

These papers were very critical of the British presence in Palestine and advocated the withdrawing of the Balfour Declaration together with the project of a "national homeland" for the Jews. (451) Over the Great Palestinian Revolution (1936-1939), the press played a prominent role in the dissemination of the objectives of the revolution, which consisted in getting the Balfour Declaration withdrawn, getting Jewish immigration stopped, and getting the British mandate terminated and replaced by a national Palestinian government.

During World War II, the publication of most newspapers was suspended, as had happened in World War I, except for Falistîn, Ad-Diffâ', and As-Sirât

449. Palestine Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, p. 8.

450. Palestine Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, p. 9.

451. Palestine Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, pp. 11-12.

Al-Mustaqîm, which were major papers. However, between 1945 and 1948, Palestine saw the emergence of sixty eight new papers, of which some were based in Al-Qods. The most important of these papers were Al-Qarya Al-'Arabiyya (1946) and Ash-Shabâb.

After the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, eighteen more papers and magazines (12 in the 1950s and 6 in the 1960s) were established in the two cities of Al-Qods and Ramallah. Among these, the most important daily newspapers issued in Al-Qods were Al-Jihâd (1953), Al-Manâr (1960), Ash-Sha'b (1960), and Al-Bilâd (1956). Early in 1967, two newspapers, Falistîn and Ad-Difâ' were banned in compliance with the proclaimed legislation on publications. However, in substitution for Falistîn and Al-Manâr, a new paper called Ad-Doustûr was founded in Amman; likewise, Al-Qods is the paper that replaced both Ad-Diffâ' and Al-Jihâd. One of the leading weekly magazines based in Al-Qods was Al-Hadaf (1950). (452)

After the Israeli occupation of the city, the paper Al-Qods (1967) was back in publication, and new papers, Al-Bashîr, Ash-Sha'b, and Saout Al-Jamâhîr were established respectively in 1969, 1972, and 1973.

The Israeli occupying authorities launched newspapers in Arabic in order to influence Arab and Islamic public opinion. Al-Anbâ', founded in 1967, was one of these. (453)

452. Palestine Encyclopedia, p. 12.

453. Palestine Encyclopedia , Vol. 3, p. 12. Pages 13-18 provide a list of papers and magazines that were established in Palestine along with the place and date of publication.

For further information on this subject, see Volume 1 of Khalîl Al-'Aqqâd's The Arabic Press in Palestine (in Arabic), (Damascus, 1966).