The Zionist movement and Hertzel - 3

"Herzl's" efforts in Germany
Germany was considered as one of the greatest powers at the end of the nineteenth century, therefore it rose to the challenge with Great Britain to acquire colonies in Africa and use it to set up foreign trade to the Middle East. Meanwhile, some news about the visit of the Emperor of Germany "Wilhelm II" from Jerusalem was released, but only after his meeting with the Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid; since Germany at that time was the only friend of the Ottoman Empire. Herzl became ready to take advantage of the opportunity and friendship between the two countries [Germany and the Ottoman] to meet with the Emperor of Germany in Astaneh, and he did the same, and he met Emperor of Germany on 19th October 1898 CE. He also suggested him to found a legal fair for development and growth of lands under the control of Zionists and Germany through Jewish immigrants so that culture and art of Germany be transferred to Middle East by them.
Herzl also noted the point to the German emperor and said: "our Zionist conference language is German language". Then, Herzl offered other enticing items to the emperor, such as: the possibility of creating a land route to connect the Sea of the Mediterranean to the Persian Gulf and be overlooking to the Indian ocean's coasts, of course, with Jewish property and investments that the realization of this project will have tremendous commercial interests and influence for Germany.
Then Herzl at the end of the visit requested the Emperor of Germany to have another meeting with him in Palestine and before entering the Jerusalem as he (Herzl) is representative of the entire world's Jews, and the emperor allowed him to meet with him in Palestine. Herzl immediately left "Istanbul" after the meeting and quickly went to "Alexandria" through the sea and from there traveled to the port of "Jaffa" in Palestine. In there Herzl went to greet the emperor with three of his followers near the colony gate of "Mokfeh Israel", close to the city of Jerusalem, and upon his arrival Herzl spoke for the Emperor and praised him highly and welcomed him sincerely and wished the meeting be a good start for everyone including the Jews who have eyes to aids of the emperor. However Emperor rejected Herzl's proposals with such content:" if such interference is carried out in the affairs of the Ottoman Empire by Germany, certainly countries such as Great Britain, France and Russia will be worried and anxious!"
Herzl felt the bitterness of defeat and failure strongly after all suffering of a trip to Jerusalem, and after the meeting of Germany's emperor from Palestine and Jerusalem, the German government issued the following statement: "Germany respects for the Sultan and is calling for the welfare and prosperity in the Ottoman Empire". This statement made Herzl upset, however, he did not stop trying and struggling, but this time he wrote a long and detailed letter for " the great Duke Baron", the rule of " Barron" state of Germany, whose wife is against the German emperor, and asked him to receive an advice from the the Emperor of Germany to Sultan to let accommodation and localization of the Jews in Palestine happen in certain regions and even small parts of the Jerusalem, and thereby the German emperor would be able to protectorate a part of the Palestine without the least danger to Germany comes into existence, and ultimately all-region of Minor Asia of Ottoman Turkey will be placed under the influence of the German Empire. However this struggle led to shame as well!
Herzl once again goes to Sultan Abdul Hamid
This time Herzl also succeeded to have a meeting with Sultan Abdul Hamid -with the mediation of some of the servants of the palace "Yildiz" who were friends of him. The meeting lasted for two hours, and Herzl spend the beginning of it to give friendly compliments and eulogized Sultan and gaining his attention toward Jews and said to him: "The Jews are indebted to you, and they will never forget your friendships and gifts for them in this great empire, and we also have-you ever Jewish worshipers will never cut praying to God for, and you will not be forgotten."
Sultan Abdul Hamid after hearing the compliments and flatteries, immediately went to the point and asked: "I know it better to know your goals and objectives." At this point, Herzl said: "We ask you our Lord to let his servants, the Jews, have the possibility to settle in Palestine". The King replied:" I think that you people [the Jews] are living in this empire without any discrimination and on an equal basis with other citizens, do you have any complain about it? Whether our statesmen behave unequally and have discriminatory manner with you people that we are not aware of it?"
Herzl said: "No, my lord, refuge to God, but we're supplicant on assigning Palestine to the Jews that of course its ownership will belong to you. However, we are ready to pay more money for it, and we are prepared to offer a million pounds of gold to you."
Sultan Abdul Hamid told Herzl:" be sure that the lands of our ancestors will not be sold to money, as our ancestors sacrificed their whole things for it; therefore, we will not neglect one tiny part of it."
However, in this meeting, Sultan was a listener than a speaker.
He purposely let Herzl speak more and talk about whatever he had in his mind, talk about his plans and thoughts and the subjects he wanted and reveal everything, but the clever attitude of Sultan made Herzl thing that he has been successful in his mission. But like all the times, in the end, he found out that he has failed and has been wrong about Sultan Abdul Hamid, and he concluded that his efforts for Sultan end to dead end.
The doctor Ahmed Nouri al-Naimi's view is that Herzl did not succeed in his proposals on lending to the Ottoman state, and it was for two reasons:
1) Herzl and the Zionist movement had never considered a specific funding for this mission.
2) Although the Ottoman Sultan during Abdul Hamid era had financial and economic affairs and was bankrupted, at the time of Abdul Hamid the situation was improved, and when European countries rose for this matter, Sultan Abdul Hamid also had effective and successful fiscal policy.
Herzl had also considered Cyprus as the Jewish homeland
We can recognize the character of Herzl among historical events of his political movement and diplomatic actions that he actually was brave and patient and had serious fantasies and dreams which had turned to his permanent mental affairs and did not go far from his mind, so far that he spent all his efforts in order to achieve the same goals and aspirations. Although he had the feeling that he has no rights of the Holy Land (Palestine), the Jewish profit seeking, deceitful, and full of malice character of Herzl was evident in his greedy attitude, because he was earnest and persistent in his efforts and because of the Palestine he went to Ottoman. He was even pleased to have an acquired small parcel of land to establish settlements on it, so he started great efforts by the Ottoman government and "generously" offered huge sums of money and property to them. But all those struggling against the wisdom and knowledge of Sultan Abdul-Hamid- as noted- were doomed and destroyed!
Needless to say, it is clear that his first goal was to creating a Jewish state in Palestine, but at the same time he was thinking on the island of Cyprus, if unattainable dream for the Palestinian still was impossible, so he (Herzl) writes in one of his daily notes: "the first place I thought about it after Palestine was Cyprus". However he emphasized on promised land that is consistent with the emotions and feelings of Jews, , especially that he was trying to adapt himself with the prospects of Jewish societies of "lovers of Zion", who did not show interest in any other land than Palestine. Herzl finally found those who agreed with him with this alternative (Cyprus), like head "David Trytes" who was a extremist Zionist Jew, fanatic and was a leading member of the World Zionist organization.
Trytes's view was that they should create the Jewish colony on the island of "Cyprus" and Sahara of "Sina" for now. He knew the two regions as a part of Palestine, or in other words, he considered those places as road and a bridge that leads to the Holy Land, so he enthusiastically as possible, magnified the issue of "Cyprus" in the face of public opinion of the Jews and Zionists with insistence and persistence. Therefore, times before holding the third conference of the Israeli, in 1889 CE, he did publicity and promotion for the plan, and it was that Herzl however, found someone who helped him in his second goal [of Cyprus]. Herzl's attention to this issue is that he sent a letter to "Fawzi Beig", the first general secretary of the Ottoman State, and informed him that the path of the Zionist movement to the colonization of the island of Cyprus is with the agreement of the UK, because the Ottoman government did not accept the proposal of Zionist movement that Palestine be the homeland of the Jews.