traNSLatioN aND coNqueSt • 191translations of relevant arabic newspaper and journal articles.^28 his
extensive expository reports, typically written in hebrew and trans-
lated into French and German (to be sent to the Zionist offices in con-
stantinople and Berlin), were highly valued by the Zionist leadership.^29
Moyal, whose independent wealth may have permitted him to do the
work gratis, was apparently not on the palestine office payroll; in-
stead, he generally published his translations of the arabic press in
ha- Ḥerut.^30 through these reports, Zionists in palestine and their lead-
ership abroad discovered what was being written and published about
them by arab journalists and intellectuals. translation, that is to say,
was the first step in the “conquest” of the press.
Why and how to influence the pressthe Zionists’ focus on the arabic press merits some reflection. if the un-
derlying concern was not with the press per se but rather more broadly
with arab views about Zionism, were there not other means of gauging
arab sentiments or ideas concerning the Jews and Zionism? Zionists
might, for instance, have studied the sermons of religious leaders, sur-
veyed workers in the fields, or interviewed arab notables to determine
the range of beliefs on the subject among arabs. these or other meth-
ods might well have yielded a more representative and accurate picture
of what the region’s arabs were thinking about the Zionist movement
and its efforts in palestine.
the preoccupation specifically with the press might be attributed,
at least in part, to some of the following factors. First, Zionists and
european newspapers as well. See also L2.26.2 for the 1911/1912 palestine office bud-
get, including the expenses for the press Bureau.
(^28) Unfamiliar with the arabic press, the Zionist leadership requested that Malul pre-
sent a list of the important newspapers and journals to which he wished to subscribe.
Such a request was made by Yehoshua Feldman on June 3, 1914. See cZa L2.94.1b. in
one budget report from the press office, Malul is listed as receiving 1,200 francs for his
services. See cZa L2.167. Malul was relieved of his duties in September 1914 because of
budget constraints resulting from the war. he appealed the decision directly to ruppin,
pointing to both the achievements of his press work and his poor financial situation. See
cZa L2.72.2, September 20, 1914, and September 27, 1914. after the war, Zionist offi-
cials once more demanded Malul’s arabic translation services. See CZa L4.999, January
23, 1920.
(^29) hundreds of pages of these reports are extant in the Central Zionist archives in
Jerusalem. See, inter alia, cZa L2.94.1a, L2.94.1b, and L2.94.2. a letter on May 7, 1914,
from the Zionist representative Victor Jacobson in Constantinople requested even more
detailed and timely reports on the arabic press. CZa L2.94.1b.
(^30) See, for instance, ha- Ḥerut (September 22, 1911).