Hertzel and the Jewish State

The Zionist movement as an intellectual ideal and a plethora of activities and scattered mottos, continued until Theodore Hertzel appeared (August 1860 - July 1904). He was an Austrian playwright and journalist who knew nothing of Hebrew language and culture. His father was a wealthy merchant and Hertzel benefited the cultural sources in the Christian context of Hungary, under the influence of that country’s situation. Then he studied law at Vienna University and after graduation, he began writing literary articles, till his work was popular and he was appointed as the journalist of the New Ferry Parris newspaper in Paris.
In 1894 Alfred Dreyfus, one of the Jewish officers of the French artillery, was accused of spying and selling military secrets to Germany and because his sentence was issued in the military court, the public opinion in France was greatly excited and the French people stood against Judaism.
But the Jews did not keep quiet against this scandal which had caused the European nations to look upon them with suspicion and contempt, and after ten years, using all the facilities, they succeeded in establishing the revision court and representing new records and issuing the acquittal of Dreyfus. However, in this case, basically their goal was not to exonerate Dreyfus himself, but the main goal was to save the Jewish people from the wrath storm of European nations and especially the people of France.
Hertzel, the Austrian journalist, took advantage of this event and published a small pamphlet titled Der Youden Stadt, with the aim of achieving fame and taking the leadership of Jewish community and causing a wave of advertisements in their favor.
In this book, he invited the Jews to establish a Jewish state, so that those Jews that can’t stand the pressures that comes upon them in different countries would settle there.
Hertzel’s opinion in the book of Jewish state was:
Jews will never be allowed to live in peace anywhere that they arrive, and how much interest and love they show to their citizen state.

He had said:

Jews’ problems always remains, any country that they live in, no matter how large their population statistics are. Even when migrating to any country where they would not see injustice and harm, because they themselves are carriers of hostility elements against themselves, they are not set free of these blames. It is also possible that the Jews coexist with other nations and may also live in peace for two generations, but passing of time is not on their profits!
From Hertzel’s view, the problem of Jews and the crisis of their situation is neither religious nor social. But, the problem is ethnical and racial and its solution is not possible except through political way- globalization and negotiation and agreements between the representatives of developed countries. Therefore, his successful solution was to give the right of sovereignty and domination over a large part of the township to the Jews, so that through the earned income would satisfy the legitimate needs of a respected (!) nation.
Hertzel recommended that a Jewish firm should be established, in order to make special arrangements for the political agreements. He emphasized another Jewish enterprise for performing financial and economic activities.
He ended his book with these words: "The establishment of a Jewish state in the world, is necessary, so it should be created."
Hertzel did not precisely determine the immigration place of the Jews in that book, but he put this responsibly on the Jews’ public opinions, so to choose one of three global regions: Argentina, Africa or Palestine.
He, in the book of the Jewish state, says:
Argentina, of course, is one of the richest countries on earth, with a large area, low population and warm climate. Republic of Argentina has many advantages if hands over a piece of its land to us… Palestine is our unforgettable historic homeland. Only its name is an effective rally cry for the Jews.

He also said in the same book:

If the Ottoman Sultan, His Majesty, concede Palestine to us, we will pay off all the financial accounts of Turkey. We will create a barrier for Europe against Asia. We will be vanguards of civilization against barbarism. We will be a neutral government that will remain in constant communication with the whole of Europe that should guarantee our existence.
Hertzel wrote the book of Jewish State, announcing that he has finished his task and will do this task again, except to respond to criticism of the critics.
Following the publication of Hertzel's book, overwhelming wave of attacks and criticism of Jews rose up against it. Some claimed that he is an atheist and ungodly and has put his efforts in order to delay clock pointers and his book is against religious teachings and his recommendation, will fill up the hearts with hostility toward Jews. After all, how are the Jews who are not worthy of agricultural practice requested to base their financial affairs on it?
Hertzel, in order to fulfill his Zionist goals and programs, started some trips in order to keep contact with the countries’ leader, and beside that to be able to attract their support and confirmation in favor of Zionism. In 1898, he met with Guillaume Wilhelm II, the German Emperor in Jerusalem and in 1901 he had a talk with Abdul Hamid, the Ottoman sultan in Istanbul, but from this meeting, except for the tie pin made of diamonds, that the king gave him, nothing else was achieved.
He sent numerous letters to heads of state, kings, politicians, writers and artists in this regard. Including letters to Bismarck, the German chancellor, Victor Emanuel, King of Italy, and the Pope (Leo XIII).
Hertzel was successful three times to meet with the Emperor of Germany. However, he did not achieve his goal in none of these meetings.
He also, a year before his death in 1903, meet with Pope Pius X in Rome. He writes about the visit in his notes:
Pope came forward while his hand was stretched out to me. I was previously ordered to kiss the Pope's hand, but I didn’t kiss it and that was unusual because those who went to his pilgrimage must bow before him or at least kiss his hand.
(However, after the usual pleasantries) the Pope said: We cannot confirm this "Zionist" act. Of course, I am not able to prevent the Jews from going to Jerusalem, but yet I cannot officially confirm that. Even if the land of Jerusalem has not always been holy, the presence of Jesus Christ in it, has made it holy, and I as the head of this religion, cannot say but this. Jews did not admit to the truth of Jesus Christ, therefore we cannot officially recognize Jews...

Hertzel, in his notes (Hertzel’s Dairies, p. 323-324) adds:

Thus, once again the conflict rose up between Rome with the delegacy of Pope and Jerusalem with the delegacy of me.
In this interview, as is well known, Hertzel was faced with Pope’s cold behavior and his indifference and disapproval of Zionist movement, but it is worth mentioning that in 1917, when Nahum Sokolow, (1861-1936), the popular and active face of Zionism, met with Pope Benedict XV, Pope’ reaction was quite favorable and optimistic.
Pope asked Sokolow: Do you think that I understood the goals of Zionism enough? The Pope continued: Wondrous is the turn of firmament and turn of history that has come to give a lesson! Nineteen centuries ago, Rome was set to destroy Jerusalem and now you that want to rebuild it, want to achieve your goal through Rome!
Sokolow said: A group were dissolved and disappeared and another group survived and call for their ancestry land!
Pop excitedly said yes, yes, this is God’s will. And then asked Sokolow to explain more about Zionism.
Anyway, Hertzel wanted the excessive problem of the Jews get solved by the contemporary and common colonial method of Europe and that the west send off its problems and all the price of its developments to east. If the problem is the extra goods, let all these goods be sent to the east, even if it leads to destruction of local industries. If the purpose is raw materials, like cotton, let Egypt be transmitted to a cotton farm. So with this simple method, the problem of the Jews human surplus can be solved.
Give us the governance of a piece of land on this world that can satisfy our needs, arrangement of the rest of the affairs will be our responsibility. When the human surplus is sent to the east, it will establish an independent state that satisfies the legitimate ethnical need of the Jews and will stand like an impregnable fortress of civilization (West) in the face of barbarism… This fort remains in touch with Europe, and instead of this contact, Europe will guarantee our existence.
We see that the expenses of Zionist plan is extremely high: The West will be set free of the surplus Jews by sending them to Palestine, and they themselves will also be freed from their own problems. The subversive marginal Jews who turn to the revolutionary movements, will be turned to a profitable element which is called the Jewish nation... Hertzel (adds) and says that: If the simultaneous solution of the Middle East problem and the issue of Jewish is possible, this solution, will affect the whole civilized world.
Hertzel believed that reaching the long term goals of Zionism is not possible only through the political efforts and theoretical issues and stimulating the Jews’ emotions and to achieve this objective, the use of violence and force is a certain and inevitable action.

In his talks with Lord Cromer in Egypt, he stated that:

If he would want to follow his own personal desire, he would love to gain Palestine through conquest and bloodshed.

David Hurst, in the book “Gun and the Olive Branch, says:

From the beginning, violence was an inseparable part of Zionism. The Zionist prophet predicted that coercion is inevitable and these two were not unknown things for the followers of Hertzel that they would seek because of failure. According to Hertzel diaries, which was published 26 years after his death, he has always believed that military pressure is an essential element in the strategy of the Zionist and the ideal is that Zionist gain their selected land through armed force; but he was always very careful to hide these beliefs in public speeches... His proposed methods for achieving this goal included the Jewish influence in the media, finance and exacerbating the conflicts and exploit the colonial aspirations of rival countries.
He tried to induce the fear of Jews, fear of their influence, and also the revolutionary mentalities to the non-Jews. He supposed his followers as ten million spies.
Hertzel tried to put the European statesmen at crossroads: either Zionism or a revolution to stimulating the Jews. All those who did not want the Jews to ruin everything, must have supported Zionism. He claimed that a new war in Europe, not only will not harm Zionism, but it will advance it.
Hertzel with his strong belief in determinant of violence and war and bloodshed, to achieve the goals of Zionism, he tried so hard to not only hide this belief in the eyes of others, and especially the Arabs, but also tried to introduce the Zionist movement as a peaceful and benevolent movement by resorting to the methods of deception and deceit.

He wrote a letter to Joseph Zia’olkhaledi, the mayor of Jerusalem, asserting that:

One must never let any fears of the immigration of the Jews, because the Jews are not supported by any warmonger force and its nature is not militant. They are very peaceful and satisfied, as long as no one has any harm to do to them.
Is anyone thinking about expelling the Palestinian Arabs? The peace and its financial situation will improve by our arrival and our stock. Do you think if an Arab who has a land, one day would wake up and would see that that the price of his land has been quintuple or decuple during a few months, will he be upset? No. Arabs will find true brothers among the Jews and the Ottoman Sultan will find true and faithful bondmen. Palestine will have vision, property and financial intelligence of the Jews and will be successful.
As the establishment of the first Zionist meeting in the city of “bawl” which was held by Hertzel in 1897, the Jewish laborers of Russia established the labor organization "Bund” with the steep socialist attitudes, whose purpose was to confirm the Russian revolutionary movement and support the interests of Jewish workers. The labor movement invited the Jews to take advantage of opportunities to fulfill the dream of Palestine. They even invite them to make the effort and activity and doing the task in the current country (Russia) and playing an effective role in promoting social revolution, alongside with other Russian workers.
The labor organization of "Bund" was set so that the Zionism prevents the Russian Jews from taking part in the revolutionary battles and cooperation with other Russian workers, and prevents them from the existing class war, which in his belief, was the only solution of the Jewish problem.
Hertzel regardless of such objections, to fulfill his dreams resorted to the perfect example of English colonists, the Cecil Rhodes and on the January 11th 1902, he wrote:
I request you, please, send me a letter that shows your evaluation and approval of my plan. Mr. Rhodes! You may wonder why I am resorting to you, the reason is that my plan, is a plan of development.