Haaretz

Haaretz (Hebrew: הָאָרֶץ, meaning "The Land [of Israel]") is an Israeli daily newspaper first published in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel. It appears in Hebrew and English in the Berliner format, with an online edition as well. In North America, it is issued weekly, combining material from the Friday edition with a summary of the week's news. Haaretz serves as Israel's newspaper of record and is recognized for its left-wing and liberal positions on both domestic and foreign matters.

As of 2022, Haaretz has the third-largest circulation among Israeli newspapers. Its English edition is widely read by international observers and frequently cited in the global press. According to the Center for Research Libraries, among Israel's daily newspapers, Haaretz is considered the most influential and respected for both its news reporting and its commentary. The paper was first launched in 1918 under the sponsorship of the British military government in Palestine.

History and ownership

In 1919, a group of socialist-leaning Zionists, mostly from Russia, took it over. It was formally established on 18 June 1919 by businessmen including philanthropist Isaac Leib Goldberg, initially under the name Hadashot Ha'aretz ("News of the Land"), later shortened to Haaretz. Its literary section attracted leading Hebrew writers of the era.

The paper began in Jerusalem, and from 1919 to 1922 it had a series of editors, including Leib Yaffe. It was closed briefly due to a budgetary shortfall and reopened in Tel Aviv at the beginning of 1923 under editor Moshe Glickson, who stayed for 15 years. The Tel Aviv municipality supported it by paying in advance for future advertisements. During the 1920s and 1930s, Haaretz's liberal outlook was loosely linked to the General Zionist "A" faction, which later helped form the Progressive Party, though the paper remained nonpartisan and avoided endorsing any party line.

It was regarded as the most sophisticated daily in the Yishuv. In December 1935, Salman Schocken, a Jewish businessman who fled Germany in 1934 after the Nazis came to power, bought the paper. Schocken was involved with Brit Shalom, an organization supporting Jewish-Arab coexistence and sympathetic to a homeland for both peoples. His son, Gershom Schocken, became chief editor in 1939 and held the role until his death in 1990.