Four Issues of the Weekly "Chadashot MeHaAretz" - Leading Up to Germany's Surrender in World War I

Four Issues of the Weekly "Chadashot MeHaAretz" - Leading Up to Germany's Surrender in World War I

"Chadashot MeHaAretz – The Hebrew Edition of the Weekly Publication of the Egyptian Military Mission for the British Army in the Occupied Enemy Territory" – Four Issues of 'The Palestine News - Chadashot MeHaAretz', Established by the British Mandate and Later Privatized to Become the Newspaper 'Haaretz'. Year I – Issues from August and November 1918.

Year I:

• Issue 19, August 16, 1918: Covers developments in World War I and reports on the situation in Germany and Austria-Hungary.
• Issue 32, November 15, 1918: Discusses the impending surrender of Germany, with reports on the suffering of Jews under German and Austrian rule.
• Issue 33, November 22, 1918: Reports on Germany's surrender, the terms of the armistice, and life in the Jewish colonies in Eretz Israel.
• Issue 34, November 29, 1918: Contains extensive articles on "The End of the War" and "Towards Peace."

Immediately after the conquest of Eretz Israel from the Ottoman Empire, the British Mandate established a newspaper. The newspaper's declared purpose was to unify and address the three prominent audiences in Eretz Israel at the time: the British soldiers, the Arab population, and the Jewish Yishuv. Through the newspaper, the British aimed to establish a unified leadership that would dictate the agenda for all the country's populations and make the British Mandate in Eretz Israel a legitimate and unquestionable authority. To achieve this goal, the newspaper addressed the prominent audiences in Eretz Israel in different languages. The newspaper's editorial staff was funded, operated, and written by representatives of the British government, while the Jewish Yishuv and the Arab population in the land were not given representation or the right to self-expression. The main reason for this was the British fear of public opinion turning hostile towards the government and the government's reluctance to give a platform to voices that did not align with the unifying message.

On April 4, 1918, the Hebrew version of the British Army's weekly in Eretz Israel, "News from the Holy Land – The Palestine News, " was published in Jerusalem, with the subtitle "The Hebrew edition of the weekly of the military expeditionary force of the British camp in the occupied enemy territory." In its early days, the newspaper was distributed free of charge to Jewish soldiers in the British army and simultaneously offered for sale to the general public in Jaffa and Jerusalem. From the second issue, the Hebrew name was shortened by order of the British censorship to "News from the Land." Despite its official funding sources, the newspaper suffered from financial difficulties from the outset, and after five issues, the editorial office was moved to Cairo, where the sixth issue was published on May 16, 1918. In 1918, the mandatory government realized that its position and control over the land were sufficiently established and decided to put the weekly up for sale and cease its publication, along with its Arabic and English versions. The Jewish Yishuv, which was working to create supportive media, saw the purchase of the weekly as a national asset.

Encouraged by the Jewish Agency, Goldberg purchased the weekly, and about two and a half months after its publication ceased, on June 18, 1919, the daily "News of the Land" began to be published. On December 2, 1919 (10th of Kislev 5680), its name was shortened to "Haaretz." With this, Goldberg opened the door to commercial, privately-owned Hebrew journalism. The newspaper's declared purpose continued to be a marketing goal, stating that "the newspaper will serve to disseminate national messages." "Haaretz" was a morning newspaper, the only one from its inception that did not belong to a political party, although it was identified with the "civilian" circles.

The newspaper "Haaretz" marked the shift and transition from partisan journalism, with clear political features, to commercial journalism, with private funding, setting the path for the entire world of journalism up to our times.

The issues are complete. Two of the issues are reinforced with tape along the spine. Overall condition good.