Don’t Mess Up: Zionism Reflects Legitimate Longing to the Ancient Homeland

Abstract

This essay argues that Zionism reflects the legitimate longing of the Jewish people for their ancient homeland and that anti-Zionism has branched out of a more general antisemitism resting mostly on prejudice and ignorance. The author reviews the history of Israel from the twelve tribes in Canaan, the exodus from Egypt and the return to the land, through the kingdoms of Saul, David and Solomon, the division of the kingdom, the Assyrian and Babylonian conquests and the return from exile, to the Hellenistic and Roman periods, the renaming of the land as Syria-Palestina, Byzantine and Ottoman rule and the British Mandate, and also discusses the rise of Christianity. The author contends that the historical and religious connections of the Jews to Zion have been recognized internationally, that Jews preceded Muslims in the land by at least 1600 years, that a significant portion of Jews always lived there, that only a small percentage of Israel's population consisted of Holocaust survivors, and that Arab settlers in the region did not raise national aspirations. The author cites Arab journalists who recognized Israel's legitimacy and describes denials of Jewish legitimacy over Zion as attempts to rewrite the history of Canaan. The author concludes that Zionism, as an expression of Jewish affiliation to the ancient homeland, should be respected rather than criticized.

Abstract prepared by the editorial office from the full text of the article; the authors did not supply one.