Zionism

Zionism is the belief that Jews are entitled to a homeland in Biblical Israel. It is an integral part of the Jewish religion.

A great impetus was given to Zionism by the founding of the Zionist Congress by Theodor Herzl, a Hungarian Ashkenazi Jew. he believed that the only way to achieve a homeland was by direct political action. He was opposed by many Jews who believed that this was blasphemous and Jews should await the coming of the Messiah. This view is still held by a small minority of Jews today.

The fulfillment of Zionism is generally considered to be the modern state of Israel, which was built upon the British Mandate of Palestine. Prior to the large influx of Jews during the 19th century, very few people lived in the area and the majority Palestinian Arabs and Bedouins in the Negev Desert.

Some of the 19th century supporters of the right of the Jews to a homeland were not committed to having it specifically in the Biblical area, or even the Middle East. However, a suggestion by the United Kingdom that it should be in what is now Uganda, while received favourably in some quarters, was overwhelmingly rejected by the Zionist Congress.

The Balfour Declaration, signed in 1917 by the United Kingdom, stated that the U.K. government looked with favour on the establishment of a Jewish state in the area. Subsequently, when the League of Nations was set up, it awarded the U.K. a mandate over the whole of what are now Israel and Jordan, recognising the Balfour Declaration.

The signing of the Balfour Declaration is generally seen by Arabs as a betrayal, but by Israelis as a victory that guaranteed their future as Jews living in the Middle East.