A Brief History of Judaism and the Birth of Israel.

The history of the Jewish people is very ancient. Dating back five to six thousand years ago to the Copper Age before Christ, it is known as the world’s first Abrahamic, monolythic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion established by Abraham. The holy book of the Jews is called the Torah. Torah means legal education. Some also call it the Talmud, while others include the Old Testament, written in Hebrew, among their religious texts. Despite being established as the world’s first Established religion, the total population of Jews worldwide today is less than 20 million. Throughout history, these followers have had to face displacement numerous times. Most importantly, out of the descendants of Abraham, the founder of this religion, Christianity was born two thousand twenty-five (2026 ) years ago, followed fifteen hundred years ago by Islam, along with the branches of Hebraism and Hellenism. In other words, all these religions are called Semitic religions.

However, despite being the oldest of the world’s established religions, a history of fierce bloodshed and resulting mass migration (known in English as the ‘Exodus’) occurred at the beginning of the twentieth century in European countries, as well as in Russia and Poland, where atrocities were committed against Jews. Before that could even end, Adolf Hitler, after becoming the Chancellor of Germany in the 1930s, systematically orchestrated a genocide of the Jews that was the most hateful and inhumane in world history. Because of this, the Jewish population today is barely between 1.5 and 20 million worldwide. Out of this, fewer than 10 million Jews have forcibly come to Israel over the past seventy-eight (78) years, committing similar barbarities against the Palestinians.

In 1948, they laid the foundation of a new nation named Israel in Palestine, but that foundation was built from Palestinian blood, flesh, and bone-concrete. Now, for the past three years, continuous attacks on the Gaza Strip have been working to erase the existence of Palestine. For seventy-eight (78) years, by seizing Palestinian land and existence, and by driving out local people through various means—fair or foul—following the advice of ‘Theodor Herzl’, the ‘Father of Israel’, the existence of Palestine today has been reduced to the size of a mustard seed.

This October 7 marks three years since the war waged by Israel in the Gaza Strip began. Day after day, under the pretext of Hamas and using it as a shield to end the existence of Gaza, the war continues relentlessly with the help of America. More than 100,000 people have died in this conflict. Most surprisingly, among these casualties, the highest number consists of children under the age of fifteen. The population of the Gaza Strip was 2.3 million, but Israel has destroyed more than half of it. Consequently, the largest population of the Gaza Strip has been displaced and forced to live under the open sky, surviving without water, electricity, medicine, and food.

Today’s main topic is the idea that after a gap of twelve hundred years, Jews should have an independent country of their own, which is called ‘Zionism’. The primary reason for this was that after Jews were driven out of many European countries, some among them began to feel that they needed a country of their own.

Because violent incidents and severe atrocities were committed against Jews first in Russia, then later in Eastern European countries, and subsequently in Germany. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the Jewish population was around 2.5 to 3 million, of which 90% lived in European countries, while the Jewish population in Palestine was only five thousand. At that time, the total population of Palestine was 250,000 to 300,000, with the largest number belonging to the Sunni Muslim community, along with remaining 25,000 to 30,000 Christians.

In 1882, the most significant effort to prepare the ideological groundwork for Zionist thoughts was made through Leo Pinsker’s book Autoemancipation. Pinsker had become firmly convinced that “all efforts to integrate Jews into the mainstream of European countries have failed.” Therefore, he insisted that Jews must have a separate country of their own. However, he never stated that their nation must be on the land of Palestine, though he did strongly hint that Jews should journey toward their homeland. His arguments deeply influenced Jewish youth living in Russia, and during the 1890s, the influence of Zionist ideas grew, as it was not yet entirely clear where a Jewish nation would be established.

Because Palestinian land might prove unfavorable for agriculture and other industries, and life there could be fraught with severe hardships, discussions were underway to establish it in other regions rather than Palestine. Therefore, in 1890, efforts began to establish a settlement of one million Russian Jews in Argentina. For this, a Jewish industrialist named Baron de Hirsch announced a commitment to invest 40 million dollars. Within five decades of initiating this plan, the Jewish population there reached only 45,000, which increased to 400,000 by 1950 due to people fleeing European persecution. Nevertheless, the idea of establishing a separate Jewish country there eventually faded away.

After Pinsker, the Austrian journalist Theodor Herzl (1860–1904) most vigorously strengthened the concept of Zionism during 1896 through his book titled Der Judenstaat in German and The Jewish State in English. Herzl had studied law at the University of Vienna, and having the opportunity to travel across Western European countries in the field of journalism, he observed that anti-Jewish sentiments existed everywhere and concluded that they could not be reduced merely by passing laws. Therefore, in his book, he made a clear call to the Jewish people to build their own country based on the twin issues of ‘nationalism and religion’.

He helped create an atmosphere for different movements related to Zionism to come together, which proved helpful in bringing the question of Zionism from a local level to an international stage. Most surprisingly, Theodor Herzl did not write anywhere precisely where the Jewish country would be located. Without mentioning Palestine, he suggested alternatives like Argentina and the western part of America, which were more prosperous and developed compared to Palestine. Yet, he thought that “considering the historical and religious significance of Palestine, it would be much more attractive to Jews scattered worldwide.” Indeed, Herzl’s vision provided a definite direction and inspired European Jews who had been gripped by despair and a lack of direction.

The following year, in the Swiss town of Basel, Theodor Herzl organized a conference of 200 Jews. He delivered the message: “Despite our tremendous efforts as Jews to integrate into our respective dwelling places and local cultures, we have been forced to live a life of utmost humiliation and degradation. All our efforts to this end have been in vain. Therefore, there is no alternative left for us Jews except to create an independent country.” To realize this vision, he called upon Jews to aggressively intrude upon and settle in such a new region.

Twenty-six years after Herzl’s death, when his diaries were published for the first time in 1930, it was revealed that to counter the prevailing atmosphere of distrust and anger against European Jews, he had spread a rumor: “One million spies are scattered across the world, and if countries wish to ensure that they do not engage in any divisive or violent acts, those nations should support the ongoing Zionist concept for the creation of an independent Jewish state.”

Because of such deceitful writings, Herzl later wrote that “Jews must enter Palestine, slowly take over the land of local people, and create an atmosphere where they find no employment opportunities.” By adopting this very strategy before his death in 1904, Theodor Herzl laid the foundation for present-day Israel through the method of encroaching upon Palestinian land.

Long before that, the lifestyle of Palestinians in the Middle East was similar to that of Arabs, with only a small Jewish population. However, the Jews now systematically began purchasing land from local Arabs in Palestine. Strictly following Theodor Herzl’s advice not to employ Arabs on the land they purchased, between 1878 and 1908, Jews began establishing their dominance after purchasing over 100,000 hectares of land out of a total of 6.75 million hectares. Soon after, following the establishment of Zionist banks and a national Jewish trust, social and cultural exchange programs according to Zionist ideology were initiated at all levels, alongside the formation of a Jewish military force.

Consequently, a large wave of Jewish immigration occurred; between 1881 and 1900, over these nineteen years, 25,000 Jews migrated to Palestine. However, living in Palestine was not easy due to the outbreak of malaria caused by mosquito infestations. To counter this, a Paris-based Jewish industrialist, Baron Rothschild, sent substantial funds for malaria control—a practice that continues to this day. Whenever any crisis or problem arises for Israel, the Zionist lobby in America—dominated largely by owners of multinational corporations, Hollywood, and major banks who are mostly Jewish—exerts pressure on whichever party is in power in the government. They compel the US to support Israel under all circumstances and utilize its veto power in the UN to endorse Israel’s sins. Just as today, in the ongoing UN session, America alone is brutally supporting Israel and standing by its side amid the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

In the UN session, many European countries approved a proposal recognizing Palestine. Benjamin Netanyahu not only opposed this but reiterated his resolve to eliminate the existence of Palestine under the pretext of destroying Hamas, speaking primarily to win the current elections for his minority government.

Britain, which ruled over a massive country like India, faced tremendous anti-British resistance movements there. Seeing the possibility of Russia or France establishing their supremacy over India, and in order to maintain its own dominance in and around India to preserve its grip, Britain found Iran to be the most ideal country. For troops to reach India in the shortest possible time, the opening of the Suez Canal reduced the travel time from England to India to just forty days.

The discovery of oil wells in the Iranian region of Abadan (1916) immensely benefited England and America. The period between the end of World War I in 1918 and the outbreak of World War II proved vital for the Middle East. As European powers weakened by the end of the second world war, it became difficult for them to manage their occupied territories. Coupled with the rising aspirations of the local populations, independence struggles began, leading to the creation of nations such as Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Libya. Along this same chain of events, the Balfour Declaration paved the way for the creation of Israel.

Chaim Weizmann, the London-based spokesperson for the Zionist movement, played a monumental role in spreading Zionist ideas. Born in Russia, Weizmann studied in Berlin and Fribourg, Switzerland, earning a doctorate in chemistry. While studying in Berlin, he was introduced to Zionism and soon succeeded in opening branches of the ‘World Zionist Organization’ in Russia. After becoming a chemistry lecturer at Manchester University in 1904, he began spreading Zionist ideas there as well. During this time, he focused heavily on building relationships with influential British politicians. Weizmann was extremely skilled at presenting his issues effectively and without hesitation. Tall, thin, and sporting a French-cut beard, observers often thought he looked like Lenin. Weizmann was a master at leaving an imprint among highly influential people. During the 1906 British parliamentary elections, he got the opportunity to meet Arthur Balfour, the leader of the Tory party, after which Balfour began playing his cards on behalf of Zionism.

During the First World War in 1916, England needed a chemical called acetone, which was used in manufacturing bullets and other explosives. To sustain the war against France, at least 30,000 tons of acetone were required, a fact that became known to Britain. When future Prime Minister Winston Churchill, then serving in the British military, mentioned this in a meeting with Weizmann, Weizmann quickly produced a cheap technique to manufacture acetone. This earned him great respect among senior British military officials, who offered him a generous reward. At that point, he stated that he wanted an independent country for his Jewish nation. The plan to establish a Jewish state on Palestinian soil had already taken root in Weizmann’s mind. According to the decision of the 1920 San Remo conference, the British were granted the authority to determine the future of Palestine. At the very end of its 28-year rule over Palestine, despite 85% of the population (6.682 million people) being Arab, Britain made decisions favoring the Jews. As a result, today’s Palestinian crisis stands before the entire world. Despite Arabs historically constituting the majority population in Palestine, they have been reduced to living in the world’s largest open-air prisons—ranging from the West Bank to the Gaza Strip. For the past three years, Israel has been continuously attacking Gaza and the West Bank in an attempt to destroy Palestinian existence entirely.

US President Donald Trump, who boasts of stopping half a dozen wars ranging from Russia-Ukraine, India – Pakistan instead of telling Israel to halt the war, is providing aid to Israel and making the inhumane remark to the people of Gaza: “Clear the Gaza Strip, I want to build a sea resort there.” Surprisingly, this man is even dreaming of winning the Nobel Peace Prize and the Pulitzer Prize.