Beginnings of the Arab Israeli conflict (week 10)

I never learned about the history and formation of Zionism before, it was always presented to me as coming from a united group and so I was somewhat surprised to learn about the factionalized history of Zionists. The evolution of Zionism, the original objectives of Herzl are different from our understanding of Zionism today since he wanted practically any place where Jews could simply have security, not specifically based on heritage. The initial tolerant attitude of the Ottomans to Jewish immigrants (expect in Palestine) contrasts sharply with the Arabs’ later fear of the rise of Jewish influence. The sudden change in atmosphere in the 1920s and 1930s, as Arabs and the British begin to react to the high number of Jewish immigrants, marks the outward discomfort with their presence. The change in social and cultural understanding of the two groups is useful when watching the news on the conflict, as the issue came up in class that some people are given the impression by the media that this conflict is centuries old. The movement of Palestinians and Israelis was forced, as land in the Middle East was negotiated over by Europeans and Zionists pursued their objective of moving in Jewish settlers. The Palestinians first turned to the British for help, trying to get restrictions on immigration and land sales, but eventually turned to revolting. I thought it was interesting how foreign influence was important in the formation of Israel, since the support of the United States and Americans Jews was important to the success of Zionists while Palestinians did not equal support from another nation.