Before the Bombs Dropped: An Inquest into the Roots of the Conflict in Gaza

 A people prosecuted, A dream conceived and A land targeted.

 “The Jew is not just hated because of his religion. Even when he discards it, he is still hated. So long as he is a Jew in the eyes of others, he will remain the outsider.”

"Had history taken a different turn, the Jewish homeland—Israel—might have risen in East Africa—Uganda— not the Middle East.”

Jewish history is one that was strewn with hurdles and suffering. For a community that small to have survived under circumstances so harsh—multiple expulsions, forced conversions, and massacres is nothing short of a miracle.

All over Europe — from England (1290) to France (1306, 1394), Spain (1492), Portugal (1497), and many other places across different times in history — Jews were repeatedly expelled, killed, or forced to convert.¹

They were blamed for plagues, accused of blood libel, forced to convert or die, and were at times economically scapegoated.

Blood libel refers to the accusation that Jews kidnapped and ritually murdered Christian children, typically to use their blood for occult rites. The earliest documented case is William of Norwich (1144, England).²

An interesting example of attempts at forcing Jews to convert was that of Martin Luther — leader of the Protestant Reformation.³

Luther was at first gentle in his appeal for Jewish conversion to Christianity. But his failure to convert them led to bitter resentment.

He condemned their refusal to convert which ultimately led to hostile calls for their persecution.

In his book On the Jews and Their Lies, Luther wrote:

“...First, their synagogues or churches should be set on fire…

Secondly, their homes also should be razed and destroyed…

Thirdly, their prayer books and Talmudic writings, by which such idolatry, lies, blasphemy, and cursing are taught, should be taken from them…

Fourthly, their rabbis ought to be forbidden to teach henceforth on pain of loss of life and limb…”⁴

Kings and queens used Jews for different economic purposes, as they were believed to possess ancient knowledge of finance — especially as they were the main source of loan financing. Loans that came with exorbitant interest rates.

And when it was seen that they were no longer useful, they were expelled — or forced to forgive the debts owed to them.

In short, for these and many other reasons, they were persecuted and hated even more. 

By the 19th century, the arrival of the so-called “Enlightenment” in Europe promised new rights and protections for all.

But this came with conditions for Jews — assimilation.⁵

Assimilation was presented as a pathway to acceptance and equal rights. Jews were encouraged to assimilate into society.

This meant they were expected to adopt the cultural, social, and religious norms of the majority non-Jewish society they lived among.In return, they were promised “equality.”

To some extent, this was observed. Yet antisemitism persisted.

In Tsarist Russia, antisemitism prompted the eruption of pogroms in the 1880s. These riots saw entire Jewish villages burned, women raped, and thousands killed. ⁶

In France, the infamous Dreyfus Affair (1894) saw a loyal Jewish army officer falsely convicted of treason.⁷

Crowds chanted “Death to the Jews!” in the streets of Paris.

It was here, in Paris, that Theodor Herzl, a Viennese journalist, reached a turning point.

He once believed in assimilation — that Jews could become “Europeans.” But what he saw changed him.

He wrote:

“Assimilation does not solve the problem because the Gentile world will not allow it as the Dreyfus affair has so clearly demonstrated.”⁸

How an assimilated Jewish officer could be unjustly accused and persecuted made him conclude that no matter how integrated Jews became, they would never be accepted.

This led him to believe that the only viable solution was the establishment of a Jewish state — a place where Jews could rule themselves and constitute the majority.

In 1896, Herzl published his landmark work, Der Judenstaat (“The Jewish State”).⁹

In it, he proposed an idea that would see the Jews establish a state of their own — a solution to the antisemitism in Europe.

With this, the term Zionism came to the fore. Zion is one of the biblical names for Jerusalem.

This came to represent the broader goal of establishing a Jewish homeland in what was then known as Palestine.

However, Herzl didn’t invent the term Zionism — it was Nathan Birnbaum who coined it years earlier. But Herzl became its most important champion.¹⁰

He saw the Jewish community not as a religious one, but a racial one, and thus he described the Jewish problem not as a religious issue but a national issue that required a national solution.

This conception was, of course, problematic for many Orthodox and liberal Jews. 

In July 16, 1897, Theodor Herzl published Protest Rabbiner in his Zionist paper Die Welt in response to a strong objection by these Rabbis.

Earlier that June, Germany’s Union of Rabbis including figures like Dr. Maybaum and Dr. Horovitz had condemned Zionism in and called Herzl’s efforts “propaganda” and a “calamity.” ¹¹

This however did not deter Herzl. It was after this that he organized the First Zionist congress.

Herzl began writing letters and meeting influential people in Europe to gain support for his cause.

Interestingly, with the “so-called” Enlightenment that had been heralded by the arrival of the 19th century, colonialism was the language of power.

And Herzl used this language fluently. For example, in a letter to colonialist Cecil Rhodes, he framed Zionism as a European-style colonial project.

Herzl wrote:

“You are being invited to help make history. It doesn’t involve Africa, but a piece of Asia Minor; not Englishmen but Jews… a colonial project.”¹²

Herzl sought backing from the Ottoman Sultan, the German Kaiser, the Austro-Hungarian Emperor, and even the Pope.

Pope Pius X rejected him outright. The Pope reportedly said: ¹³

“The Jews have not recognized our Lord; therefore, we cannot recognize the Jewish people.”

He then told Herzl that “If Jews settle in Palestine en masse that the Church would make sure that there were churches and priests there to baptize them.”.

In 1897, Herzl convened the First Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzerland.¹⁴

The meeting brought together over 200 delegates including rabbis, writers, and nationalists.

They issued the Basel Program:

“Zionism seeks to establish a home for the Jewish people in Palestine secured under public law.”¹⁵

Thus began the political project of creating a Jewish homeland.

Herzl later wrote in his diary after the Congress:

“At Basel, I founded the Jewish state. If I said this aloud, I would be greeted with laughter. In five years perhaps, certainly in fifty, everyone will know it.”¹⁶

(The Jewish state was established 51 years later.)

As mentioned, though Herzl's vision excited many, not all Jews supported him.

Orthodox Jews saw this movement as a travesty of what the Jewish people stood for — as a faith and as a community in the diaspora.

They believed that the fact that the Jewish community were in “exile” and not in the Holy Land meant that God was punishing them — and that He would only lift this punishment with the coming of the Messiah. They saw this movement as as an affront to God's authority. Herzl himself for one was not a believer in God. He was a secularist. An atheist recognizing God's plan.

About 5 Zionists congresses were held between 1897 and Herzl's death. Zionists in other part of the world also held their local meetings.

A New York Times headline from June 20, 1899 reads ¹⁷

CONFERENCE OF ZIONISTS; Elect Delegates at Their Meeting in Baltimore. WILL COLONIZE PALESTINE Rabbis Gottheil and Wise Were Chosen Members of the International Executive Committee.

Another from Jan 2, 1902 reads:¹⁸

PLAN OF COLONIZING PALESTINE WITH JEWS;

Zionists Discuss Problems in Big Chicago Meeting. Rabbi Emil G. Hirsch Says Government Established by Them There Would Be Model.

We should take note of the word “COLONIZE”. It shall be expounded upon in the next piece.

According to Israeli historians such as Avi Shlaim, after the congress, a delegation of Viennese rabbis visited Palestine and allegedly returned saying:

 “The bride is beautiful, but she is married to another man.”¹⁹

It is important to note that the authenticity of this quote is debated, and some other historians doubt its accuracy.

However, the metaphor captured the reality on the ground: the land wasn’t empty. It had people — Arabs — who had lived there for centuries.

Herzl continued lobbying across Europe. He formed the Jewish Colonial Trust, which became the financial wing of the Zionist movement.

He sought territorial offers from powers like Britain and the Ottomans.

At one point, Herzl briefly considered Uganda and Argentina as possible locations for the Jewish homeland.

A New York Times headline from 1903 reads:²⁰

JEWISH STATE FOR JEWS; Great Britain Offers territory to the Zionists. Sixth Congress Opens at Basel -- Meet- ing in This City Last Night.

Later in the article,

Dr. Herzl, in his opening address, referring to the collapse of the project to establish the Jews on the Sinai Peninsula, announced that Great Britain had OFFERED THE ZIONISTS A LARGE TRACT OF TERRITORY IN EAST AFRICA FOR COLONIZATION BY THE JEWS, who would have an autonomous government under British suzerainty. The question of accepting the offer, he said, would be submitted to the congress

However, some leaders within the Zionist ranks felt this was a betrayal of the whole cause.

After Herzl’s death in 1904, Palestine remained the goal.

With his death, other leaders rose — Chaim Weizmann was an important figure.

His death in no way derailed the mission. The foundation had already been laid:

A people had been persecuted.

A state had been imagined.

And a land had been targeted.

That was all enough to keep the coal burning.

They say in every revolution, there’s always a man with a vision.

It is unfortunate that in most revolutions, with the death of the visionary comes the demise of the movement.

But Herzl’s death did not bring the end. It was only the beginning.

1https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Jews

2 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_of_Norwich

3 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther

4 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Jews_and_Their_Lies

5 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_assimilation

6 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pogroms_in_the_Russian_Empire

7 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreyfus_affair

8 ibid

9 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Der_Judenstaat

10 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionism

11 https://www.jpost.com/features/in-thespotlight/this-week-in-history-herzl-rabbis-clash-on-zionism

12 Refer back to 10

13 https://israeled.org/herzl-meets-pope-pius-x/

14 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Zionist_Congress

15 ibid

16 ibid 

17 https://www.nytimes.com/1899/06/20/archives/conference-of-zionists-elect-delegates-at-their-meeting-in.html

18 https://www.nytimes.com/1902/01/06/archives/plan-of-colonizing-palestine-with-jews-zionists-discuss-problem-in.html

19 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_bride_is_beautiful,_but_she_is_married_to_another_man

20 https://www.nytimes.com/1903/08/24/archives/jewish-state-for-jews-great-britain-offers-territory-to-the.html