Zionism, Immigration, and the Jewish State

Talk about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict modern may be traced to the end of the 19th century, before the outbreak of World War I. At that time, the Middle East is a region of the Ottoman Turkish Empire for over 400 years. Towards the end of the 19th century, when it was called Palestine or Southern Syria province is broken down into Syria, Beirut, and Jerusalem by the Ottoman authorities.

At that time predominantly Arab Muslim Palestinians with few Arab Christians, Druze, Sirkasian, and Jews. Despite living under the occupation of the Turks, but life in this area can be said to be a lot of conflict and violence.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the Blue Continent, Jews were widely spread in Central Europe and Eastern Europe have long dreamed of "return to Zion" or simply a return to the promised land of God. However, immigration to Palestine or what they refer to as the Land of Israel has done individually or small groups and the intention to establish a Jewish state has not dawned.

Intention of establishing a Jewish state appears around 1859-1880 when a wave of anti-Semitism began to hit Europe and Russia. This is what sparked the formation of the Zionist movement in 1897. This movement for the creation of a Jewish state as a refuge for all Jews in various parts of the world. This group had considered several locations in Africa and America before ultimately chose Palestine as the ultimate goal.

As mentioned above, when Palestine was still a region into the Ottoman Empire of Turkey. Supported Zionism Jewish National Fund then fund the purchase of land in Palestine, which is still a colony of Ottoman Turkey for settlement of Jewish immigrants. Waves of Jewish immigration after the formation of the World Zionist Organization, has become more organized with the goal of much more clear in the future.

At first, the immigration of Jews to Palestine was not a problem in Palestine. However, with the increasing number of Jewish immigrants who come, the more the land needed for the construction of settlements. Conflicts and disputes over land often occurs between the two nations.

The increasing number of Jewish immigrants in Palestine was also made of the Ottoman Empire worry. However, based on their concern over the fact that most Jewish immigrants came from Russia who is the main enemy in the struggle for power in the Ottoman Balkans.

Ottoman worried Jewish immigrants from Russia will become an extension of their countries to weaken the Ottoman Empire in the Middle East. Thus, the first violence that befell the Jewish immigrants of the 1880s in Palestine-particularly by the Ottoman Turks, was that they considered to be the Russians or Europeans, not because they are Jews.

Measures against Jewish immigrants was done by local people, especially the Arabs. They began protesting acquisition of land by Jewish settlers. Protests over Turkish Ottoman Empire eventually stop selling land to immigrants and foreigners. However, in 1914 the number of Jews in Palestine numbered 66,000 people, half of whom are newcomers.