Mir’at al-Sharq, or "Mirror of the East" was a Palestinian newspaper founded in Jerusalem in September 1919 by Bulus Shihadah, a Christian from Ramallah. He often blurred the lines between “news” and “editorials," such that political commentary often accompanied telegraphs, notices and news. Front-page articles often dove didactically into political and social issues. Qustandi has argued as well that the newspaper was among the most significant papers published in Palestine during the Mandate period and reflected the most significant events of the day.
Shihadah supported the opposition faction in Palestinian politics during the Mandate period. Zachary J. Foster has argued that in "its attempt to discredit the Husseini-dominated national leadership, the paper frequently looked to Egypt, Syria, Turkey and elsewhere with examples of more successful national movements in order to emulate their achievements and sidestep their blunders." After the early-mid 1920s, he claims that "many Palestinians came under the influence of their neighbors in the Arab world and beyond to a much greater extent than has been acknowledged."[1]
