The Background and Objectives of Zionism

Zionism emerged as a political movement at the end of the 19th century, advocating for the creation of a Jewish state. Multiple possible venues were considered for mass Jewish immigration, but eventually, the consensus centered on Palestine. The British supported the Zionist project for strategic, religious, and anti-Semitic reasons. The Balfour Declaration was incorporated into the mandate for Palestine, which aimed to establish a Jewish national home in a country where Arabs constituted the majority of the population. Palestine was under British control from 1917 to 1948, and the Arab population decreased while the Jewish population increased due to immigration.