The emergence of political Zionism

There was a time when Zionism term completely had different meaning with political Zionism, as nationalism completely had different meaning with political nationalism and it was against it. For decades prior to advent of Theodor Herzl there was a category called "Lovers of Zion". Rabbi Kalysher was the spiritual leader of the movement. At the same time, Ahad Haam became a prominent Hebrew writer and philosopher. His Zionism was spiritual, and the aim of this movement was regeneration of ghettos of the degrading situation by creating a Spiritual Center in Old Palestinian; a place where Jews could learn plantation, work, obtain self-confidence and self-esteem, and thus, adopt a new life based on Jewish prophetic Judaism. It could turn into a kind of spiritual influence over the Jews in the ghettos and other places.
The emergence of tendencies of Zionism among Jews started in the late nineteenth century that first manifested in the form of traditional "charity" and sending donations from Western wealthy Jews to poor brothers in the East to assist them in staying in other countries, including Palestine. Also tending to Zionism among the Jews was found first among lovers of Zion. They tried to penetrate in Palestine to settle in there.
Historically we can know the emergence of political Zionism with the publication of "Jewish state" book of Austrian Theodor Herzl in 1896. This work is trying to search nationalist facts in mysterious religious elements of Zionism. The core ideas of Herzl, as he mentions, is that the Jewish problem cannot be justified "as a social or religious problem. The issue is in fact a national problem. The national problem that to solve it we have to supply it as a political issue in international relations; In fact, we are one nation, one united nation "
In prospect of political Zionism, Jews are counted as a nation above all other things. Herzl raises Zionism issue in completely new way and offers the following results:
1. Jews around the world and in every country that they are living constitute a single nation.
2. They have been tortured in every time and place.
3. There are not similar to the nations among which they live.
The Jewish settlement in ancient Palestine and turning it into a center of human civilization was the main goal of Herzl. He did not believe that the Jewish problem will be resolved by itself with migration. He knew that Jewish immigration should be careful, however, the long-term results will be only moving from one place to another. Creating huge colonies in each territory that are selected for this purpose, if ignored national interests of the Jewish people and lack of attractiveness to convert the program to a project that goes beyond a humanitarian action cannot solve the problem of the Jewish people. However, philanthropy will not solve the problem of the Jewish people. Jewish question will be solved only through Zionism or "Jewish National Movement", because the movement is to effectively and permanently solve the problem of the Jews. Zionism, the Jewish national movement, calls for the establishment of a secure homeland for the Jewish people in Palestine; it is a land where Jews have never lost their spiritual claim during their exile from the land two thousand years.
Herzl believed that Jews by just one way can make people of the world believe their existence and that way is the formation of the Jewish nation, or to create a Jewish state. He mentioned Argentina or Palestine as a state to be considered and declared the area must be large enough to migrate. He also suggested that in order to monitor Jewish Emigration, an Immigration organization can be created under the auspices of the UK. It should be remembered that, unlike religious Zionism, Herzl basically denied God and is atheistic. He even strongly fought those who consider Judaism as a religion.
In 1897, Herzl formed "state newspaper", which is the official organization and publisher of Zionism thoughts. In the same year, according to his personal initiative, the first Zionist Congress was held in Basel in Switzerland and decided to form a National Association of Jews in Palestine and founded the World Zionist Organization. The first Zionist Congress set the goal of Zionism as follows:
The aim of Zionism is to create a homeland for the Jewish people in Palestine. The Basic Law guarantees the homeland.
1. Attempt to colonize Palestine by Jewish agricultural and industrial workers equal with the right principles;
2. Organizing Jews around the world and connecting them through the creation of national and international organizations in accordance with the laws of every country;
3. Development of national feeling among the Jews;
4. Taking the necessary steps to obtain necessary government approval for the realization of the Zionist goal.
Wing Congress in addition to accepting a program full of nationalist parochialism Jewish ideas, founded the World Zionist Organization. In the Congress for the first time "creating a country with a constitution in Palestine" for the Jewish people was clearly declared and they decided that along with a sense of national consciousness of Jews, contracts be established for Jewish peasants and artisans from different united nations under a law that respects private and public rights of any group. In addition, Congress prepared a plan under what demand an order from the Ottoman sultan held on settling Jews in Palestine.
Sultan Abdul Hamid wrote in response to Herzl:
I do not accept separation of any part of the empire. My people fought for this land and it is watered from their blood. Therefore, several million population of it will be outraged at Jews.
Emperor of Germany, which tried in friendship with the Ottomans, when Zionist leaders suggested him that Palestine will be Germany's cultural base if it is Jewish settlement, also categorically rejected it. Despite Herzl's deceiving promises to Russian czar based on financial aid, loans, and other assistance, his response was negative.
Finally, Herzl said the issue to British and gave them hope that he is ready to serve the British colonial efforts in the late nineteenth century. From Wing program it was clear that Zionism is a racist and colonialist movement and aims to make Jews of the world come out from their home communities and through immigration come to create a Jewish national state in Palestine.
In other words, Zionism deliberately decided to first turn Western oppressed Jews into immigrant, then to Palestinian citizen and then occupiers of Arabic lands and displacement of the Palestinian Arabs. The main strategy of the policy also relied on the support of the colonial countries in a time that they implemented principles of "public international law" and therefore they could have the "necessary government approval for the realization of the Zionist goal" from Ottoman rule. All Herzl's efforts whether done before Zionist Congress or those carried out after the congress, show that the Zionist movement knew itself as an ethnic colonial and united with imperialist countries movement and without the alliance it could not reach its goal. Just after the first Zionist Congress, David Trych, Herzl adviser told him:
I suggest you as soon as possible, before it is too late to note "Palestine" plan. Otherwise it makes no sense. How do you get ten million Jews gathered in a land area of 25,000 square kilometers? And Hechler, the moody man, and guide and teacher of Herzl, Palestine opened his map and guided me. Northern border is supposed to be mountain in front of Minor Asia and the southern border, the Suez Canal, will be our slogan "Palestine Solomon and David".
But the main questions or issues that were raised by political Zionism, was that how could they create Jewish majority in a country where the majority of its inhabitants are indigenous Palestinian Arabs? Political Zionism presented the only solution that arises from its colonial program and that solution was to create a colony with the expulsion of the Palestinians and forcing Jews to emigrate.
In Zionism opinion, driving the Palestinians and seizure of their time was a deliberate and systematic act. Director of "Jewish National Fund" who was the officer of buying land in Palestine and was called Joseph Whites wrote in 1940:
It should be clear for us that in this country, there is no room for two people. If the Arabs leave it, it will be enough for us (...) there is no other solution than moving them there; not even one Arab village and tribe shall remain. To Roosevelt and all the leaders of friendly countries it should be explained that the land of Israel is not too small, of course, if all Arabs leave it and its borders go little to the north and along the Litani and in the east reach the Golan Heights.
According to Roger Garaudy, thus the schedule was set even before the creation of Israel. But its political, economic creation fully meets the definition provided in the month of November 1981 by Professor Israel Shahak, a professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and former head of "Israeli population defense of human rights,": in fact, Israel was founded by people that non-Western rights did not exist in their sight and were alien with justice that "non-Western" people deserved. Shahak adds that Zionist basically have racist behavior in where the feeling of superiority of West that at the turn of the century was extremely widespread, mixes up with particular Zionist racist.
On the other hand, Zionism, which was led by Herzl, was subjected to harsh criticism from the beginning by a number of Jews. Immediately after the first Zionist Congress, Ahad Haam attacked the political Zionism with the following warning:
Yesterday I sat down alone at the wing among my brothers, as the mourning at the wedding ... the new excitement is an artificial excitement, and the results of the treacherous hope, will be despair... the redemption of Israel (the Jewish people) will come through the prophets and not by diplomats ... one thing is clear to me: we have destroyed more than building. Who knows, maybe this is the last sign of people dying. I cannot throw this thought out of my head ... there is only one goal that we can actually reach it, and it is a moral goal, which is ridding us of the inner slavery.
A. Baniok and M. Frenkel also criticizing Zionism write in the book entitled "Jews and Zionism" released in 1898:
not only Zionism is not a progressive process, but especially it is a process that does not reflect the level of wishes and aspirations of the Jewish people ... so even if now a Jewish state is created, the power would not be in the hands of the Jewish people, but it will be concentrated in hands Jewish bourgeoisie, and therefore, the only difference, is that this time our working masses will be under control of bourgeoisie greedy colony... and for all the reasons why Zionism is a reactionary movement.
Baron Leo, who was of the greatest defenders of Jewish bourgeoisie in Russia, considers Zionism as a defender of the Jews retardation. He believed that due to the goals that will come out of Zionism's sleeve later, it must be considered a reactionary movement.
In addition, Zionist ideology was also subjected to harsh criticism by Jewish intellectuals in Western countries. Basically, from the very beginning Herzl's ideas met a kind of coldness and apostasy. The problem was so clear that even in the Third Congress, in 1899, leaders such as Herzl and Nordau were forced to admit that:
Zionism has not been able to introduce itself as a healthy tendency for millions of Jews yet... and people still know nothing about it.
In fact, whether from the first and whether from subsequent years, Zionism was not able to attract the support of the masses of the Jewish people.