The appearance of Arabic newspapers and journalistic discourse on the Palestinian political, social and cultural stage during the Mandate period shaped the social and cultural awareness of the readers to a great degree. Newspapers reflected the various opinions prevalent among the different sectors of readers and expressed the readers’ social and cultural expectations. This occurred not only in the political sphere. Various social classes perceived the newspapers and the journalistic discourse as a suitable platform for expressing themselves and presenting demands, desires and criticism in a Palestine confronting the Zionist project under the British rule.

Global Dimensions of the Palestinian Press

Palestinian society gave rise to a dynamic and diverse press with different kinds of periodicals (dailies, weeklies, monthlies, reviews) that were a central element in the political expression of different trends and outlooks. Some newspapers gave voice to the causes of these sectors as practical fulfilment of their role as an informative instrument shaping and influencing public opinion. The newspaper al-Karmil, for example, side by side with years of political activity, also dedicated a great deal of attention to the rural classes and to topics of land and agriculture. It often addressed the peasants and guided them on issues such as modern methods of cultivation, desirable crops, circumventing the dominance and the control of the wealthy families who owned the large agricultural assets, or fighting the phenomenon of the sale of land and speculation, which had become very prevalent.

Najib Nassar, the editor of al-Karmil, in contrast to the various Palestinian political organisations and institutions such as the Arab Executive Committee and the Higher Muslim Council, believed that words alone were not sufficient. He often visited distant villages and Bedouin encampments, in particular in the north and in the Valley of Bisan. In his travels he tried to organise alternatives to the traditional institutions that would be capable of assisting the peasants with their problems so that they would be able to resist the proposals of agents and speculators.

This activity is attested to in letters sent by readers from the villages visited by Nassar. They expressed thanks to the editor for his actions as well as raising questions relating to agricultural work and desirable crops or how to avoid paying commissions and to bypass the marketing monopoly of the urban notable families who owned the most significant agricultural assets.