The establishment of a Zionist news service (Palcor) imposed by the Histadruth leaders in the Executive of the Jewish Agency for Palestine—has deeper significance than is apparent on the surface. It is indicative of the antagonistic attitude of the Histadruth-controlled Executive against private enterprise. The most serious criticism of the Histadruth leaders against the Jewish Telegraphic Agency is its being a “private enterprise.”
News agencies in every country of the world are private enterprises. Why should a news agency operating in Palestine be excepted? Why should an employe of the Executive be placed in charge of a news service established by the Executive to compete with the J.T.A. and the ### respondents of all foreign ### newspapers? Such procedure ### where else would be unheard ### In Palestine, private initia### is discouraged even in the ###elds where state or public control would be rejected in every country in which liberal and democratic principles obtain.
Controlled news services are viewed with disfavor in England and the United States. Still more significant is the establishment of the Palcor service as an expression of exclusiveness or the monopoly of interest which the Zionist organization claims for itself. Palestine and Zionist interests must be the only real concern of the Jewish people, it contends. One of the strongest criticisms of the J.T.A. made by the Zionist leaders is that the J.T.A. reported extensively on Jewish colonization work in Russia. Similar is this attitude towards all other vital Jewish problems which do not happen to pertain to Zionism or Palestine.
A narrow, fanatical, chauvinistic spirit predominates. The Jewish Agency, combining Zionists and non-Zionists, can serve its purpose only if it creates a real unity, both groups viewing their different ideologies and activities with mutual sympathy and understanding.
The establishment of a news service serving exclusively Zionist partisan interests is contrary to the very spirit of the Jewish Agency. The J.T.A. is one of the very few instrumentalities in Jewish life that endeavors to serve the whole of Jewry. As Einstein stated, it is an instrument and symbol of Jewish solidarity and unity—and unity was the great ideal which prompted the founders of the Jewish Agency for Palestine.
The attempt to replace the J.T.A. by a purely Zionist news agency is therefore a real test case for the Jewish Agency.
The non-Zionists are not adequately represented on the Executive of the Jewish Agency. By choosing Zionists as their representatives, the non-Zionists are giving added strength to the one or other faction within the Zionist movement, thus influencing the relationship between the various Zionist groups. This is equally true of many so-called general Zionists who back the Histadruth in the belief that the Histadruth stands for social justice. Histadruth policy has very little in common with any kind of justice.
The Histadruth rules Palestine in a dictatorial and arrogant spirit of ruthlessly pursuing their partisan interests. This is why this Executive, despite its record, is the most unpopular Executive Palestine has ever known. The adequate representation of the Histadruth on the Executive is unquestionably necessary. But to grant the Histadruth the predominant position they at present enjoy is leading to serious abuses as the case of the J.T.A. conclusively proves.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
