Zionism: Its Origins and Development
The recent
incidents in Palestine have once
again drawn the attention of the world to that strange political and social
system imposed on Palestine in pursuit of colonial policy projects. In
Palestine there is an Arab nation that has lived in that homeland since ancient
times. Yet today it finds itself facing an imminent threat to its national
existence, and sees Judaism succeeding in the invasion of this homeland in an organized and continuous manner, in
implementation of a pledge made by Great Britain during the Great War, to
cooperate in establishing a Jewish national home in Palestine.
The Development of the Jewish National Idea in the Nineteenth Century
The idea of a
Jewish national home is an old one, dating back to the Middle Ages. But in
those eras—which for Judaism were its “Iron Age” or an age of brutal
persecution—it was no more than an ideal or a vague sacred aspiration. From the
eighteenth century onward, however, it became a socio-political outlook aimed
at practical goals. The leading figures of Judaism at that time, foremost among
them distinguished men such as Mendelssohn and Lessing, believed that Jewish
nationalism should take on a local form, whereby Jews would become citizens of
the country in which they had settled while preserving their spiritual
heritage. But this moderate nationalism, inspired by the atmosphere of
tolerance that Judaism then enjoyed, did not receive broad support and did not
last long. The old idea continued in its strength and rootedness. From the
early nineteenth century we find the Jews of England working to reinforce it
and seeking ways to implement it by calling for the revival of Jewish heritage
and the establishment of Jewish colonies in Palestine.
From that time
on, Judaism turned its gaze toward Palestine, and its efforts were repeatedly
renewed to convince British policy of the possibility of establishing a Jewish
national home in Palestine under British protection, and that its establishment
would become a strong guarantee for securing the overland route to India. Here
the idea of Jewish nationalism took on a clear political character, and the
Zionist idea appeared in its modern form.
Definition of Zionism and Its Modern Meaning
Zionism is Jewish
nationalism. It is derived from the Hebrew “Zion” (Ṣiyyōn), meaning the hill or stronghold. It was first
applied to the site of the hill upon which the Temple was built, then to
Jerusalem, then to the entire Jewish nation and its spiritual heritage. Its
modern meaning became the revival of Jewish nationalism and the recovery of its
ancient heritage. This is how Zionism is understood in our time, and for this
it works.
Thus modern
Zionism dates back to the mid-nineteenth century. At this same time, Zionism
received its substance and strength: hostility toward the Semites, or
antisemitic sentiment, flared anew in most European countries, resulting in
horrific massacres in Russia and Hungary. It swept through the Jews of Germany
and then through those of France, where the movement reached its peak in the
famous Dreyfus Affair (1896).
Judaism saw
that, despite having obtained civil and political rights in most Western
countries, it was still exposed to the old hatred that had become a deeply
rooted tradition in Western societies. At that point, the idea of a Jewish
national home appeared as a necessity that had to be realized for the good and
safety of Judaism.
The First Practical Steps to Achieve the Zionist Project
Jewish leaders
set about publicizing the idea and taking the first practical steps toward its
realization. A society was established to create Jewish colonies and was
supplied with funds. Jewish financiers began efforts with the Sublime Porte to
establish these colonies in Palestine. The idea then found its passionate
spirit in a young Austrian Jewish writer, Theodor Herzl. Herzl was born in Budapest in 1860, appeared in
journalism and theatrical writing, and distinguished himself especially through
his powerful, impassioned writings in support of the Jewish cause.
Herzl believed
that a national home was a necessity for Judaism, not merely a wish. In 1896 he
published his famous pamphlet The Jewish State, in which he presented
the idea of the national home forcefully, proposing that it take the form of a
Jewish state in Palestine under the sovereignty of the Sublime Porte, paying
tribute to it, with the holy sites constituting an independent region with a
special system. His call had a tremendous impact on Judaism as a whole and was
supported by leading Jewish thinkers such as Max Nordau and Israel Zangwill, among others. In the wake of the suffering it had
endured from antisemitic persecution in most countries, Judaism at that time
was mobilizing to defend itself and to gather its efforts for a positive,
productive movement.
The Basel Congress Program and Its Practical Objectives
This movement
quickly organized itself under Herzl’s banner and leadership. In August 1897, a
general Jewish congress was held in Basel (Switzerland) under Herzl’s
presidency. There the official Zionist program was laid down,
and its goal and means were defined as follows:
Zionism seeks
to achieve for the Jewish people the establishment of a home in Palestine,
secured by guarantees recognized by public law. To achieve this goal, the
Congress considers the following means:
1.
Encouraging
the colonization of Palestine by farmers, workers, and craftsmen with
appropriate support.
2.
Organizing
world Jewry as a whole and mobilizing it in local or general communities in
accordance with the laws of the various countries.
3.
Strengthening
among Jews the feelings of national dignity and pride of race.
4.
Undertaking
the necessary preparatory efforts to obtain the governmental authorizations
required to achieve the aim of Zionism.
The Zionist
congresses then continued annually, and Jewish practical efforts began. Herzl
contacted the Sublime Porte, which initially showed some inclination toward the
idea, believing that supporting it might gain it new influence. Herzl attempted
to use this as a means to resolve the land question under conditions he
proposed to the English Jews, but he failed in this attempt. He visited Sultan Abdul Hamid in 1901 and 1902 and sensed his
reluctance, and thus his efforts failed.
Herzl then
turned to England and proposed that the Jewish national home be established in
any region under British influence. During this time, the Egyptian Sinai was
proposed, then a region in British East Africa. However, the majority of the
Zionist Congress (1903) rejected the idea of diverting from Palestine to
another location, considering it a retreat and a defeat for the authentic
national idea. Herzl then died in 1904 at the height of his strength and
efforts; his death was a severe blow to the Zionist movement, which for several
years afterward did not find anyone to lead it with comparable power and
influence. For a time it was led by the German financier Wolffsohn and the
English writer Israel Zangwill. Efforts with the Sublime Porte were renewed,
but political instability in Turkey thwarted all attempts.
Efforts were
renewed with England. At various times, Cyrenaica or the island in Iraq was
proposed as a center for the national home, but these efforts also failed. This
repeated failure weakened Zionism and dampened its enthusiasm, its efforts
slackened, until the outbreak of the Great War.
The Role of Jewry During the Great War and Allied Support
During the war,
Jewry pursued its goal with seriousness and perseverance, providing the Allies
with every possible assistance: supplying financial loans and forming Jewish
military units to fight alongside them. Jewish leaders—Lord Rothschild, Dr. Weizmann, and Monsieur Sokolow—organized this movement and
lobbied the Allied states, especially England, to realize the national home
project. Dr. Weizmann, a distinguished chemist and gifted inventor, rendered
valuable services to England during the war by directing chemical research in
British laboratories and inventing a new substance for powerful explosives.
From 1917 onward he was entrusted with the presidency of the World Zionist
Organization.
At that time
England was conducting its campaign against Palestine, and the hopes of Jewry
seemed on the verge of fulfillment. France was the first of the Allies to
officially support the project of a Jewish national home. In June 1917,
Monsieur Cambon, the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, addressed Monsieur
Sokolow, head of the Zionist Executive Committee, affirming the French
government’s sympathy for the Jewish cause and the national home. On November
2, 1917, the British government issued its famous pledge to establish a Jewish
national home in Palestine. This pledge became known as the declaration of Lord Balfour, then British Foreign Secretary, and it was read in
the House of Commons in the second half of November in an official statement
addressed to Lord Rothschild, the leading figure of English Jewry. Its text is
as follows:
‘Dear Lord
Rothschild:
I have much pleasure in conveying to you, on behalf of His Majesty’s
Government, the following declaration of sympathy with Jewish Zionist
aspirations, which has been submitted to and approved by the Cabinet:
“His Majesty’s
Government view with favor the establishment in Palestine of a national home
for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavors to facilitate the
achievement of this object; it being clearly understood that nothing shall be
done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish
communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in
any other country.”’
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6 Indicators of the Collapse of Zionism
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Zionism's Role in Dismantling the Family Structure
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Islamic Perspective on Global Zionism
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Al-Risala
Magazine, Issue (22)
