Falastin

Not to be confused with Felesteen (newspaper).
For other uses, see Palestine.

Falastin
9 May 1936 cover of Falastin, with the headline story reporting on the Arab revolt in Palestine
TypeDaily newspaper
FormatBroadsheet
Founder(s)Issa El-Issa
PresidentDaoud El-Issa
EditorYousef El-Issa
Raja El-Issa
Yousef Hanna
Founded15 January 1911 (1911-01-15)
Political alignmentAnti-Zionism
Palestinian nationalism
LanguageArabic
English
Ceased publication8 February 1967
CityJaffa
East Jerusalem
CountryOttoman Empire
Mandatory Palestine
Jordanian West Bank
Circulation3,000 (as of 1929)[1]

Falastin (فلسطين; Arabic for 'Palestine') was an Arabic-language Palestinian newspaper. Founded in 1911 in Jaffa, Falastin began as a weekly publication, evolving into one of the most influential dailies in Ottoman and Mandatory Palestine.

Falastin was founded by Issa El-Issa, who was joined by his paternal cousin Yousef El-Issa. Both El-Issas were Arab Christians, opponents of Zionism and of British administration. The newspaper was initially focused on the Arab struggle against Greek clerical hegemony of the Jerusalem Orthodox Church, known as the Arab Orthodox Movement, which Falastin's founders led. It was also the country's fiercest and most consistent critic of Zionism, denouncing it as a threat to Palestine's Arab population. The newspaper, which addressed its readers as Palestinians since its inception,[2][3] helped shape Palestinian identity and was shut down several times by the Ottoman and British authorities, most of the time due to complaints made by Zionists.[4]

As Palestine's most prominent newspaper, its circulation was estimated to be 3,000 in 1929 (the year it became a daily). Although a modest figure, it was almost double that of its nearest competitor. However, the standing of Falastin was challenged in 1934 by the Jaffa-based Al Difa' newspaper, which soon surpassed it in circulation. Both dailies witnessed steady improvements, and their competition marked Palestinian public life until 1948.

Falastin, forced to leave Jaffa during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, relocated to East Jerusalem in the West Bank which then came under Jordanian control. The newspaper continued to be published until 1967[5] when it was merged with Al-Manar to produce Jordanian-based Ad-Dustour newspaper.[6]

  1. ^ "Introduction: History of the Arabic press in the land of Israel/Palestine". National Library of Israel. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference AAP1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference APP2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Khalidi, Rashid (2010). Palestinian identity: The construction of modern national consciousness. New York: Columbia University Press. pp. 126–7. ISBN 978-0-231-52174-1. OCLC 488654510.
  5. ^ Eric Rouleau (January 1975). "The Palestinian Quest". Foreign Affairs. 53 (2): 265. doi:10.2307/20039507. JSTOR 20039507.
  6. ^ "[The newspaper] Filastin (Originally: Falastin)". National Library of Israel.