Vallentine Mitchell The Palestinian Press as Shaper of Public Opinion: Writing Up A Storm

This book deals with the development of the Palestinian Arabic press during the years 1929-1939, years in which the national identity of the Palestinian Arab public was formalized and shaped and characterized by the development of the Palestinian National Movement. During this period the Palestinian National Movement, in addition to its struggle with the Zionist Movement, was also involved in a struggle with the British Mandatory government. The primary professed goal of this struggle was to prevent realization of the program for a Jewish National Home, and to lead Britain to a situation in which it would be compelled to grant independence or a certain degree of autonomy to the Palestinian Arabs, as had been granted to other Arab countries, such as Iraq and Egypt. The press became integrated as a central factor in shaping the development of the Palestinian National Movement in a gradual process: it began emerging in the mid-1920's, its weight increased significantly during the events of 1929, and it peaked in the Great Strike of April-October 1936. The few studies conducted to date on the functioning of the Palestinian press during the Mandatory period dealt with the political aspects of the newspapers and with their articulation of the various political groups and powers in the Palestinian National Movement. In this book Mustafa Kabha emphasize social, cultural, and institutional aspects, in addition to the national-political aspect.