Zionism emerged at the end of the 19th century: it arose from centuries of persecution of Jews and the need for a safe haven for the Jewish people. At the same time, it also fit within the broader context of nationalist movements in Europe, where many peoples sought self-determination.
The terms Jews, Israelis and Zionists are often used interchangeably. Incorrectly so. What do these terms mean, and what are the differences?
- Jews belong to the Jewish people, either by ancestry or by conversion to Judaism.
- Israelis are inhabitants of Israel. Most of them are Jews, but the population also includes many other ethnic groups, including Palestinians and Druze, and people of other religions. Israel has 9.5 million inhabitants, of whom about 75% are Jews and 21% Arabs.
- Zionists believe in the right of existence of a Jewish state. They can be both religious and non-religious Jews, as well as non-Jews.
How did Zionism originate, and how does it relate to the founding of the state of Israel?
Persecution
Jews have been persecuted and expelled for centuries. As early as the 6th century BCE, the first great diaspora (large-scale dispersion) of Jews took place from the area around Jerusalem. The second great diaspora followed in the 1st and 2nd centuries CE, when the Roman rulers expelled Jews from the region around Jerusalem. These Jews settled in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. Later persecutions, such as the Spanish Inquisition and pogroms in Eastern Europe, again forced Jews to flee.
As a reaction to these centuries of oppression in Europe, Zionism emerged in the 19th century: a movement that sought the establishment of a Jewish state, as a safe haven for the Jewish people. Within the movement, there was debate about where this state should be established. Eventually, the choice fell on Palestine.
Founding of the State of Israel
The state of Israel was founded after the Second World War, in 1948, in the region where Jews and Arabs had lived for thousands of years. The United Nations supported the partition of the territory, which was under British control and then still called Palestine, into a Jewish and an Arab part. The Jewish community accepted this plan, but Arab leaders rejected it.
Of the European Jews who had survived the Holocaust, a large number moved after the war to the then British Mandate of Palestine, and after 1948 to the state of Israel. After the horrors of the war, often having lost part or all of their families, they sought a safe refuge. Many Jews from Arab (Muslim) countries also fled or emigrated in the 1940s and 1950s to Israel. They increasingly faced discrimination, persecution, and political exclusion, partly as a reaction to the founding of Israel.
Nakba
Among the Arab population in the area that was to become Israel, and in the neighboring countries, there was strong resistance. They too, because of their history and religious beliefs, have felt and still feel a strong connection to this part of the Middle East — their home and place of belonging.
Immediately after the proclamation of the state of Israel in 1948, five Arab neighboring countries declared war on Israel. Israel won that war. Many Arab residents fled the country, and many were expelled from their homes. The Palestinians call this the Nakba (Arabic for disaster/catastrophe). For many Palestinians, this represents not only a historical trauma but also a lasting point of reference in their national identity and sense of injustice. The right of return to their former homes is one of the core principles of Palestinian resistance.
The history of the state of Israel has also been marked by conflict with its Arab neighbors and the Palestinians, who see Israel as an occupier. There is widespread criticism of the Israeli occupation of territories that, under the United Nations partition plan, had been assigned to the Palestinians, and of the construction of settlements in these areas. Settlement building and conflict are still ongoing today.
Zionism today
Today, Zionism is often seen in a negative light, and “Zionist” is regularly used as an insult. A common misconception is that Zionism is the same as colonizing Palestinian territories. That is not correct: at its core, Zionism means the aspiration for a Jewish state. At the same time, there are indeed settlers in Israel who seize Palestinian land, and the war in Gaza is often viewed in this context. It is important to distinguish between these settlers and the broader meaning of Zionism.
Not all Jews live in Israel, not all Israelis are Jewish, and not all Jews are Zionists. There are also non-Jewish Zionists, such as Christian Zionists. Moreover, within the different groups, there are diverse opinions about the conflict and possible solutions. Many Jews, both inside and outside Israel, support the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside the state of Israel. The same is true for many Zionists.
In today’s context, the word Zionist is not only used as an insult but also as a disguised form of antisemitism: a code word in conspiracy theories and stereotypes about power, money, or secret plots. In this way, criticism of Israeli policy and antisemitic imagery sometimes risk becoming intertwined.