Ever present in Europe in certain literary and political circles that were essentially Protestant, on the theme of “neo-Crusades,” the idea of a Jewish colonization of Palestine developed in the middle of the nineteenth century. Zionism emerged rapidly as a political movement reflecting the nationalist climate of opinion prevalent at that time with theories of the “non-assimilation of races,” the inferiority of the native Arab population, and colonial expansion. In August 1897, Zionists gathered in Basel under the presidency of Theodor Herzl and adopted the basic programme of the Zionist movement; its central component was the colonization of Palestine with the aim of creating of a Jewish state Zionism justified itself by the alleged “Jewish right to the ownership of Palestine.” With Zionism, the Palestinian people “were destined to become foreigners in their own country, when admitting that they were permitted to remain where they were.” (Nathan Weinstock)

The Zionist movement’s major political ally was the United Kingdom. The Balfour Declaration of November 1917 was introduced by Balfour with “much pleasure in conveying … our sympathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations which has been submitted to, and approved by, the Cabinet… His Majesty’s Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine...”. This declaration ignored the fact that the population at that time was more than 90% Arab Palestinian. In addition, the promise, in total contradiction to earlier promises made by the British in 1916 to support an independent Arab state on Arab land, naturally including Palestine, provoked consternation among Palestinians, and indeed Arabs in general.

Between 1949 and 1953, the State of Israel gave judicial substance to Zionism by promulgating the “law of return,” a law which gives the right to every Jew, whatever his origin, to settle in the State of Israel and to acquire Israeli citizenship. In 1975, Zionist ideology was condemned by the Assembly of the United Nations as “a form of racism and racial discrimination” (Resolution 3379, passed on November 10, 1975). However, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir managed to obtain the annulment of the resolution on December 16, 1991, at the final stage of the Madrid Conference, and to re-establish diplomatic relations with the republics of the former USSR: Zionism emerged victorious and a million Russian Jews immigrated to Israel in the following ten years. In August-September 2001, international human rights organizations attending the International Conference Against Racism and Racial Discrimination in Durban, South Africa, condemned Israel as “a state practicing racial discrimination” against its own citizens (the Palestinian citizens of Israel), and against the Palestinians in territories occupied since 1967.