Christian Zionismand Early 20th c Palestine

IAFS/JWST 3650

Outline

• Christian Zionism• The “Empty Land” Myth• Palestinian Nationalism

Christian Zionism in England

• 1290: expulsion of English Jews• 17th c: resettlement of English Jews• English support for Jewish Restoration

Restorationist Beliefs

• Jewish return to Holy Land• and Jewish conversion to Christianity• >>> Second Coming

Isaiah 60:9-12

• 10 And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee . . .

• 12 For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish.

Lord Shaftesbury (1801-1885)

• Religious faith in restoration• Imperial justifications• Society for Promoting Christianity Amongst

the Jews (failure)

British Views on Zionism

• Christian support• Jewish opposition

So What?

• British Christian support for Zionist settlement as important context for Britain’s WWI actions

The Empty Land Myth

• “A land without people for a people without a land”

• Phrase attributed to Herzl• Zangwill, 1901: “Palestine

is a country without a people; the Jews are a people without a country.”

Zangwill

Origins of “Empty Land” Myth

• Shaftesbury, 1853: “a country without a nation' needed 'a nation without a country”

• Stoddard, 1897: “you are a people without a country; there is a country without a people”

Shaftesbury

Jewish Resistanceto “Empty Land” Myth

• Ahad Ha’am, 1891: “this is not the case”• Nordau, 1897: reproach to Herzl

Nordau Ha’am

Jewish Resistanceto “Empty Land” Myth

• Epstein, 1907: “there is in our beloved land an entire nation”

• Ben-Gurion: “Palestine is not an empty country”

EpsteinBen-Gurion

Quickthink

Why is it significant that the “empty land” phrase originated (twice) with gentile Zionists?

Palestinian Nationalism

• Role of religious festivals and holy sites• Nationalist as framework for tension• Najib Azouri, 1905: opposition between “the

awakening of the Arab nation and the latent effort of the Jews to reconstitute . . . Israel”

Palestinian Nationalism

• 1908: al-Karmal• 1911: Filastin

Palestinian Nationalism

• 1908 as watershed• Young Turk revolution• Jaffa clash

Palestinian Nationalism

• Fula controversy• Zionism-Crusader link• 1911 clash at Fula

Palestinian Reactions:Yusuf al-Khalidi (1899)

• “Historically it is your country” but Zionism’s implementation would require “brute force.”

• “Let Palestine be left in peace.”

Yusuf al-Khalidi

Palestinian Reactions

• Ruhi Bey al-Khalidi, 1909: Jews will “displace Arab farmers”

• General Summons to the Palestinians, 1914: “In the name of our country, Palestine . . . do not sell” your land

Ruhi Bey al-Khalidi

Jewish Migration

• 1880-1914: ~3 million Jews left Russia• 1904-1914: 90% of Zionist settlers left

Palestine• Bilu’s lasting influence

Palestine before WWI

• 40 Jewish settlements• 60,000 Jews (~8% of population)

Conclusions

• Christian support for Zionist settlement• “Empty Land” idea–Christian roots– Zionist practice

Conclusions

• Growing Palestinian nationalism• Limited appeal of Zionist idea