Israel: A Chosen People In A Promised Land - Part 6
A JEWISH HOMELAND:
By the late 1800’s the term ‘Zionism’ had been developed by Nathan Birnbaum to denote a growing notion of a Jewish homeland within what was then known as the land of Palestine[1]. It became a goal of Jews from a wide variety of political and religious persuasions. It was something – other than their shared persecution – that brought them together as a people, from all over the world.
This connection between the Jewish people and their ancestral lands can be seen in the following quotes[2]:
The founder of the Jewish Conservative Movement, Solomon Schechter stated in 1906…“Zionism has succeeded in bringing back into the fold many men and women, both here and in Europe, who otherwise would have been lost to Judaism. It has given them a new interest in the synagogue and everything Jewish and put before them an ideal worthy of their love and sacrifice ... Zionism is the Declaration of Jewish Independence from all kinds of slavery, whether material or spiritual.”
World renown scientist Albert Einstein was quoted in the Manchester Guardian in 1929 as saying…"Zionism springs from an even deeper motive than Jewish suffering. It is rooted in a Jewish spiritual tradition whose maintenance and development are for Jews the basis of their continued existence as a community."
Winston Churchill has been quoted as saying…“It is manifestly right that the Jews should have a National Home where some of them may be reunited. And where else could that be but in this land of Palestine, with which for more than 3,000 years they have been intimately and profoundly associated. The cause of Zionism is one which carries with it much that is good for the whole world, and not only for the Jewish people; it will bring prosperity and advancement for the Arab population.”
Israeli General, Yigal Allon, in a speech to the UN General Assembly in 1975 said the following…“Zionism is the modern expression of the ancient Jewish heritage. Zionism is the national liberation movement of a people exiled from its historic homeland and dispersed among the nations of the world. Zionism is the redemption of an ancient nation from a tragic lot and the redemption of a land neglected for centuries. Zionism is the revival of an ancient language and culture, in which the vision of a universal peace has been a central theme. Zionism is the embodiment of a unique pioneering spirit, of the dignity of labour, and of enduring human values. Zionism is creating a society, however, imperfect it may still be, which tries to implement the highest ideal of democracy - political, social and cultural - for all the inhabitants of Israel, irrespective of religious belief, race or sex. Zionism is, in sum, the constant and unrelenting effort to realize the national and universal vision of the prophets of Israel.”
The call for a Jewish homeland was growing louder, and nations like England were become integral to the achievement of that goal. This gathered momentum after the conclusion of World War 1. This was in part due to the changes that occurred within the region during the war. During the allied forces in the Middle East, predominantly British and Commonwealth forces defeated the Turks, including the liberation of Jerusalem.
In 1917, during the First World War, the British government officially supported the establishment of a Jewish homeland, this was known as the ‘Balfour Declaration’[3]. This was followed by an international conference that was held in 1920 in San Remo Italy to discuss international affairs, including placing the region of Palestine under British mandate[4]. The nations present agreed with the Balfour Declaration and gave the southern portion of the Syria-Palestine region to the British and the northern section to France.
One statement made by the nations stated that they were…“in favour of the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.”
Palestinians and their supporters would say that since the 1920’s/30’s, and certainly after 1948, the Jewish people moving into the Palestine region were taking land away from the Arabs. This is a falsehood that has been perpetuated since 1948. Since World War 1 most of the lands in ‘Palestine’ were owned by “by absentee landlords who lived in Cairo, Damascus, and Beirut.” Furthermore, of the population of Palestinian Arabs, 80% of them were known to be… “debt-ridden peasants, semi-nomads, and Bedouins”[5].
It was known at the time, and afterwards that Jewish people looking to buy agricultural land in ‘Palestine’ “went out of their way to avoid purchasing land in areas where Arabs might be displaced. They sought land that was largely uncultivated, swampy, cheap, and—most important—without tenants”[6]. Around the time of the San Remo Conference, Labor Zionist leader David Ben-Gurion expressed his concern about the Arab farming peasants (called fellahs), whom he viewed as “the most important asset of the native population”[7]. He insisted that “under no circumstances must we touch land belonging to fellahs or worked by them….Only if a fellah leaves his place of settlement…should we offer to buy his land, at an appropriate price”[8]. The truth of Ben-Gurion’s statements is evidenced by the Jewish settlers only began to buy Arab cultivated lands after having already purchased all the uncultivated land in the region. It was also known that many Arabs at the time were wanting to move to the coastal towns, or because they needed finances to invest in growing citrus fruits. However, many Arabs did not like this ‘Jewish’ intrusion and began what would become regular riots and acts of violence towards Jewish people and their business interests.
So, that brings us back to the British mandated region of Palestine, and what area did that cover? The map below shows the extent of the British-mandated area of ‘Palestine’[9]. It was this area that was initially promised to the Jewish people for a homeland.
As you can see the area that was initially being earmarked for a Jewish state was larger than the current state of Israel, and significantly more-so than the area that was given to Israel in 1948.
One glaring omission from this map is that of the nation of Jordan. The nation of Jordan didn’t gain its independence until 1946, but in 1921 it was the British mandate of the Emirate of Transjordan[10]. For their support in fighting against the Turkish during World War 1, Winston Churchill promised members of the Hashemite royal family a nation to call their own (with others becoming the ruling class in Iraq)[11]. What resulted was a divided ‘Palestine’, as can be seen in the map below[12], with the Jordan River being the border between ‘Palestine’ and the new nation of Jordan.
This division of Palestine is at the heart of much of the conflict that the region is currently experiencing. In subsequent sections the notion of a ‘Palestinian’ people, and the history of ‘Palestine’ will be explored – with direct links back to this point in history.
Now that nations around the world had begun to support the idea of a Jewish homeland, and a region of their ancestral lands was now being considered, the next step was to actually create a Jewish nation.
A JEWISH NATION REBORN:
The act of birthing a nation, especially the state of Israel was more than just the decision of politicians and leaders of nations…it was and still is an act of God’s will. The return of the Jewish people to their homeland was referred to in many scriptures within the Old Testament, forming prophetic insight to the (then future) of Israel. Here are several…
Hosea 3:4-5 (NIV) says “For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred stones, without ephod or household gods. Afterward the Israelites will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the Lord and to his blessings in the last days.”
Isaiah 11:11-12 (NIV) which says “11 In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the surviving remnant of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush from Elam, from Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the Mediterranean. He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth.”
Ezekiel 36:24 (NIV) informs us “For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land.”
Amos 9:11-15 (NIV) says “In that day ‘I will restore David’s fallen shelter — I will repair its broken walls and restore its ruins — and will rebuild it as it used to be, so that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations that bear my name.” declares the Lord, who will do these things. “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when the reaper will be overtaken by the ploughman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills, and I will bring my people Israel back from exile. “They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them,” says the Lord your God.”
Those verses provide a firm foundation for a future Israel returning to its ancestral lands, the lands promised to it by Yahweh. The last statement found in the scripture from the book of Amos is very pertinent, as it informs us that no matter who or what comes against the nation of Israel – they will not be able to uproot them from the land that Yahweh has promised – it is a promise of God Himself, not some political or religious concepts of people.
After World War 2 in 1947, the United Nations (UN) were asked by Britain to help resolve the issue of ‘Palestine’. It was decided that the remaining land of Palestine (now that most of it was taken by Transjordan) would be partitioned off between the Arabs of Palestine and the Jewish peoples. This would leave the Jewish people with a land that was only 20% of what had originally been promised to them by England[13].
The map below shows how ‘Palestine’ was to be divided amongst the Arabs and the Jews[14].
The Jewish people accepted this, and the Arabs of Palestine did not.
On 14th May 1948, David Ben-Gurion and others from the provisional council of state, declared that the state of Israel was now independent from Britain and any other country[15]. The timing of the declaration was influenced by several factors; the increase in Arabic hostilities towards Jews in the region, the end of the British mandate[16], and the fact that the British (who had once supported the creation of a Jewish homeland) were stirring up Arabic dissent in Egypt and local Arab communities to act against the Jews in the region[17].
It is interesting to note that even the Bible predicted that Israel would become a fully-fledged nation within a single day. Reference to this event can be found in the book of Isaiah, an Old Testament prophetic voice that echoed out and was fulfilled 2,500 years later.
Isaiah 66:8-10 (NIV) says “Who has ever heard of such things? Who has ever seen things like this? Can a country be born in a day, or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labour than she gives birth to her children. Do I bring to the moment of birth and not give delivery?” says the Lord “Do I close up the womb when I bring to delivery?” says your God.“Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice greatly with her, all you who mourn over her. Israel’s first war followed almost immediately. The ongoing fight for survival by the state of Israel will be discussed in a following section.”
We can see from both biblical and historical perspectives that the nation of Israel has a place, it is THE homeland of the Jewish people. Its political and geological boundaries are not yet what Yahweh had promised to them, that will come in the fulness of time.
Part 7 begins the exploration of the Palestinian people and their role in the history of the state of Israel.
[1] Jewish Virtual Library, (nd), Zionism: A Definition, https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/a-definition-of-zionism
[2] Jewish Virtual Library, (nd), Zionism: Quotations about Zionism, https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/quotations-on-zionsim
[3] Jewish Virtual Library, (nd), The Balfour Declaration, https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-balfour-declaration-table-of-contents
[4] Jewish Virtual Library, (nd), The San Remo Conference, https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-san-remo-conference
[5] Jewish Virtual Library, (nd), Myths & Facts: The British Mandate Period, https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/myths-facts-the-british-mandate-period
[6] As above No.5.
[7] As above No.5.
[8] As above No. 5.
[9] Jewish Virtual Library, (nd), Pre-State Israel: The British Palestine Mandate, https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-british-palestine-mandate
[10] Wikipedia, (nd), Jordan, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan
[11] Jewish Virtual Library, (nd), When Churchill Severed Transjordan from Palestine, https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/when-churchill-severed-transjordan-from-palestine
[12] As above No. 11.
[13] Encyclopedia Britannica, (nd), Palestine: WW1 and After, https://www.britannica.com/place/Palestine/The-Arab-Revolt
[14] Govt of Israel, (nd), UN Partition Plan (1947), https://embassies.gov.il/MFA/AboutIsrael/Maps/Pages/1947%20UN%20Partition%20Plan.aspx
[15] Govt of Israel, (nd), Declaration of the State of Israel, https://www.gov.il/en/departments/general/declaration-of-establishment-state-of-israel
[16] As above No.26.
[17] Jewish Virtual Library, (nd), French Intel on British Support For Arabs, https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/french-intel-on-british-support-for-arabs-influences-jews-decision-to-declare-independence