Zionism

We want to take this blog post to discuss Zionism in the Ottoman Empire. Zionism, within its historical context, generally refers to people who support the creation of a Jewish state of what is now known as Israel. The term in the modern era has become affiliated with being for or against Jewish individuals; however, from a historical and practical aspect, we will only be discussing the debate surrounding the creation of a Jewish state. We want delegates to have an understanding of how critical this issue was, why it was a critical issue, and how it might manifest in the committee.

Delegates should first consider that the Ottoman Empire encompassed most of the area with which is now Israel and Palestine, so when actions such as the Balfour Declaration are discussed, understand that this means the British wanted to take land away from the Ottoman Empire and redistribute it to the Jewish population. Further, delegates should have an understanding of the demographics within the Ottoman Empire. The empire was largely majority Muslim. Which is why for most of the 19th century the Ottoman Empire was running pan-Islamic policies throughout, as started by Abdul Hamid II, in an attempt to better unify the empire. Even the Young Turk Revolution, which was seen as a more “progressive movement” was also anti-Zionist. This is due to a mixture of internal demographic pressures, uncertainty about whether European influence would extend from a Jewish state, and not wanting to lose land within the empire. It wouldn’t be until the Balfour Declaration that any concessions were made related to Zionism. Further, due to the serious economic downturn coupled with constant war, many Zionist ideals got linked to socialist ideals. The Jewish homeland became a place where poor Jewish populations could restart themselves and create a better society. These sentiments, destabilization of governmental control, and local community groups helped Zionism grow in the empire.

So what should delegates take away from this? First, despite being the population being largely Muslim, Jewish Zionism was able to grow within the empire. Delegates will need to address growing ideals from various groups, with their decisions directly affecting the success of these movements. Second, Zionism is important. Israel, as it is present day, takes up a critical coastal region in the empire, and places a pro-European country in the middle of the empire. Even though it is not a country during this period, large yet condensed homogenous populations can still present serious problems for regional control. Lastly, leadership is dealing with people. How would you address this? Would this even be an issue to you? Delegates should understand their position on the issue, as many other issues will indirectly affect Zionist feeling in the region.

Links for further research: 

1.       https://www.estherbenbassa.net/SCANS/ZIONISM.PDF
2.        http://www.hips.hacettepe.edu.tr/nbd_cilt25/mutlu.pdf
3.        https://www.jstor.org/stable/163676?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents