The conflict between Palestinian Arabs and Jews is
a modern phenomenon, which began
around the turn of the 20th century. Although
these two groups have different religions
(Palestinians include Muslims, Christians and
Druze), religious differences are not the cause
of the conflict. It is essentially a struggle over
land. Until 1948, the area that both groups
claimed was known internationally as Palestine.
But following the war of 1948-49, this land
was divided into three parts: the state of Israel,
the West Bank (of the Jordan River) and the
Gaza Strip.
This is a small area: approximately 10,000 square
miles, or about the size of the state of
Maryland. The competing claims are not
reconcilable if one group exercises exclusive
political control over the total territory.
Jewish claims to this land are based on the
biblical promise to Abraham and his
descendants, on the fact that this was the
historical site of the Jewish kingdom of Israel
(which was destroyed by the Roman Empire),
and on Jews' need for a haven from European
anti-Semitism. Palestinian Arabs' claims to the
land are based on continuous residence in the
country for hundreds of years and the fact that
they represented the demographic majority.
They reject the notion that a biblical-era
kingdom constitutes the basis for a valid
modern claim. If Arabs engage the biblical
argument at all, they maintain that since
Abraham's son Ishmael is the forefather of the
Arabs, then God's promise of the land to the
children of Abraham includes Arabs as well.
They do not believe that they should forfeit their
land to compensate Jews for Europe's
crimes against them.
The Land and the People
In the 19th century, following a trend that began
earlier in Europe, people around the world
began to identify themselves as nations and to
demand national rights, foremost the right to
self-rule in a state of their own
(self-determination and sovereignty). Jews and
Palestinians
both began to develop a national consciousness,
and mobilized to achieve national goals.
Because Jews were spread across the world (in
diaspora), their national movement, Zionism,
entailed the identification of a place where Jews
could come together through the process of
immigration and settlement. Palestine seemed the
logical and optimal place, since this was the
site of Jewish origin. The Zionist movement began
in 1882 with the first wave of European
Jewish immigration to Palestine.
At that time, the land of Palestine was part of
the Ottoman Empire. However, this area did
not constitute a single political unit. The
northern districts of Acre and Nablus were part of
the province of Beirut. The district of Jerusalem
was under the direct authority of the
Ottoman capital of Istanbul because of the
international significance of the cities of Jerusalem
and Bethlehem as religious centers for Muslims,
Christians and Jews. According to Ottoman
records, in 1878 there were 462,465 subject
inhabitants of the Jerusalem, Nablus and Acre
districts: 403,795 Muslims (including Druze),
43,659 Christians and 15,011 Jews. In
addition, there were perhaps 10,000 Jews with
foreign citizenship (recent immigrants to the
country), and several thousand Muslim Arab nomads
(bedouin) who were not counted as
Ottoman subjects. The great majority of the Arabs
(Muslims and Christians) lived in several
hundred rural villages. Jaffa and Nablus were the
largest and economically most important
Arab towns.
Until the beginning of the 20th century, most Jews
living in Palestine were concentrated in
four cities with religious significance:
Jerusalem, Hebron, Safad and Tiberias. Most of them
observed traditional, orthodox religious
practices. Many spent their time studying religious
texts and depended on the charity of world Jewry
for survival. Their attachment to the land
was religious rather than national, and they were
not involved in -- or supportive of -- the
Zionist movement which began in Europe and was
brought to Palestine by immigrants. Most
of the Jews who immigrated from Europe lived a
more secular lifestyle and were committed
to the goals of creating a Jewish nation and
building a modern, independent Jewish state. By
the outbreak of World War I (1914), the population
of Jews in Palestine had risen to about
60,000, about 33,000 of whom were recent settlers.
The Arab population in 1914 was
683,000.
Page 2 | Zionism
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a modern phenomenon, which began
around the turn of the 20th century. Although
these two groups have different religions
(Palestinians include Muslims, Christians and
Druze), religious differences are not the cause
of the conflict. It is essentially a struggle over
land. Until 1948, the area that both groups
claimed was known internationally as Palestine.
But following the war of 1948-49, this land
was divided into three parts: the state of Israel,
the West Bank (of the Jordan River) and the
Gaza Strip.
This is a small area: approximately 10,000 square
miles, or about the size of the state of
Maryland. The competing claims are not
reconcilable if one group exercises exclusive
political control over the total territory.
Jewish claims to this land are based on the
biblical promise to Abraham and his
descendants, on the fact that this was the
historical site of the Jewish kingdom of Israel
(which was destroyed by the Roman Empire),
and on Jews' need for a haven from European
anti-Semitism. Palestinian Arabs' claims to the
land are based on continuous residence in the
country for hundreds of years and the fact that
they represented the demographic majority.
They reject the notion that a biblical-era
kingdom constitutes the basis for a valid
modern claim. If Arabs engage the biblical
argument at all, they maintain that since
Abraham's son Ishmael is the forefather of the
Arabs, then God's promise of the land to the
children of Abraham includes Arabs as well.
They do not believe that they should forfeit their
land to compensate Jews for Europe's
crimes against them.
The Land and the People
In the 19th century, following a trend that began
earlier in Europe, people around the world
began to identify themselves as nations and to
demand national rights, foremost the right to
self-rule in a state of their own
(self-determination and sovereignty). Jews and
Palestinians
both began to develop a national consciousness,
and mobilized to achieve national goals.
Because Jews were spread across the world (in
diaspora), their national movement, Zionism,
entailed the identification of a place where Jews
could come together through the process of
immigration and settlement. Palestine seemed the
logical and optimal place, since this was the
site of Jewish origin. The Zionist movement began
in 1882 with the first wave of European
Jewish immigration to Palestine.
At that time, the land of Palestine was part of
the Ottoman Empire. However, this area did
not constitute a single political unit. The
northern districts of Acre and Nablus were part of
the province of Beirut. The district of Jerusalem
was under the direct authority of the
Ottoman capital of Istanbul because of the
international significance of the cities of Jerusalem
and Bethlehem as religious centers for Muslims,
Christians and Jews. According to Ottoman
records, in 1878 there were 462,465 subject
inhabitants of the Jerusalem, Nablus and Acre
districts: 403,795 Muslims (including Druze),
43,659 Christians and 15,011 Jews. In
addition, there were perhaps 10,000 Jews with
foreign citizenship (recent immigrants to the
country), and several thousand Muslim Arab nomads
(bedouin) who were not counted as
Ottoman subjects. The great majority of the Arabs
(Muslims and Christians) lived in several
hundred rural villages. Jaffa and Nablus were the
largest and economically most important
Arab towns.
Until the beginning of the 20th century, most Jews
living in Palestine were concentrated in
four cities with religious significance:
Jerusalem, Hebron, Safad and Tiberias. Most of them
observed traditional, orthodox religious
practices. Many spent their time studying religious
texts and depended on the charity of world Jewry
for survival. Their attachment to the land
was religious rather than national, and they were
not involved in -- or supportive of -- the
Zionist movement which began in Europe and was
brought to Palestine by immigrants. Most
of the Jews who immigrated from Europe lived a
more secular lifestyle and were committed
to the goals of creating a Jewish nation and
building a modern, independent Jewish state. By
the outbreak of World War I (1914), the population
of Jews in Palestine had risen to about
60,000, about 33,000 of whom were recent settlers.
The Arab population in 1914 was
683,000.
Page 2 | Zionism
Back to Table of
Contents
____________________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Send a newsletter, share photos & files, conduct polls, organize chat events. Visit http://in/ groups.yahoo.com