XPost: alt.conspiracy, alt.conspiracy.jfk, soc.culture.israel   
   XPost: talk.politics.mideast   
      
         A brief history of Israel   
      
      
         1897: Zionism gets established   
         Jews have been scattered around Europe and Russia for centuries.   
   However, they were never welcome anywhere, except for brief periods. Not   
   surprisingly, many Jews dreamed of having their own nation.   
         In 1897 Theodor Herzl officially announced the creation of the Zionist   
   movement. The goal of Zionism was to create a nation for Jews in Palestine.   
   Their goal was not to make friends around the world, nor to love other   
   nations or other people.   
      
         The problem they faced was that the Arabs who were living there had no   
   desire to give it up. Also, Turkey had control of Palestine of this time,   
   and Turkey refused to give any part of Palestine to the Jews.   
      
         A few Jews moved into Palestine at this time, but only in small   
   numbers were allowed in, and they could not take the land for their own   
   nation.   
      
         The Arabs were not concerned when the first few Jews arrived. The   
   Arabs did not realize what was coming up in the future, just as the Native   
   Americans did not realize what was happening when the Pilgrims landed on   
   their shore. Only after a few years, when the quantity of Jews increased,   
   did the Arabs become angry.   
      
      
      
         Zionists look for friends in high places   
         Britain was regarded as a world leader at this time (America in 1900   
   was not much above Australia in the world's social hierarchy). The Zionists   
   thought that perhaps the British government could somehow help them.   
         The Zionists needed influence over the British government. They soon   
   noticed a law firm in London in which one of the partners was also a   
   government official. By going to this law firm for any legal help they   
   needed, (or pretended to need), they would have access to a high-level   
   government official. This gave them the opportunity to become friends (at   
   least to a certain extent) with a government official. This contact with the   
   law firm turned out to help them meet other government officials.   
      
         The Zionists spent a lot of time contacting British government   
   officials and trying to convince them to help the Zionists cause, but the   
   most the British government was willing to do was in 1903 when they offered   
   to make some land in Uganda available to the Zionists. (Britain still had   
   colonies around the world at this time.)   
      
         Since Turkey controlled Palestine, I have to wonder what the Zionists   
   were thinking the British government could do for them. Did they think it   
   was possible that the British government would convince Turkey into allowing   
   a portion of Palestine to become Israel? Or did they think Britain would   
   start a war with Turkey, drive the Turks out of Palestine, and then give   
   Palestine to the Zionists?   
      
      
      
         The Brits, French, and Zionists try to use each other in WW1   
         Zionism got established in 1896, but not much happened with it until   
   World War 1.   
         Exactly what role the Zionists played during World War 1 is a mystery.   
   All we know for certain is that the Zionists were looking for help in   
   creating Israel.   
      
         Before I continue, you should be aware that during wars there is a lot   
   of lying, manipulation, spying, fake documents, and double crossing. You   
   cannot expect historians to make sense of events during a war because the   
   lying and deception is at extreme levels.   
      
         We know that during the war both the British and French governments   
   gave the Zionists a document which offered support for a Jewish homeland in   
   Palestine, although in such a vague manner that neither government was   
   actually committing to anything.   
      
         The questions I cannot answer are: Did the Zionists outsmart the   
   British and French in order to get those documents? Or did the British and   
   French give the Zionists those documents in an attempt to use the Zionists   
   in some manner? Or (most likely) were all three groups trying to take   
   advantage of one another?   
      
         Some historians believe the British government was trying to use the   
   Zionists to bring America into the war, thereby providing Britain with some   
   assistance. In this scenario, Britain wanted the Zionists to encourage the   
   American Jews to put pressure on the American government to get into in the   
   war.   
      
         Other historians believe that some British government officials may   
   have been thinking that it would be to Britain's advantage to have Zionists   
   in Palestine because that would put some friends of Britain near the Suez   
   canal.   
      
         Furthermore, some historians believe that some British officials also   
   made promises to Arabs, while other officials made promises to France.   
      
         If this situation seems confusing, remember, this was a time of war.   
   Individual government officials sometimes act on their own, promising things   
   they cannot deliver, and promising things that conflict with the promises of   
   other officials. And sometimes government officials make promises that they   
   have no intention of keeping.   
      
         Nobody will ever know exactly what the Zionists, British, or French   
   were thinking (most of those people are dead already), or who was involved   
   in what, or how these three groups were trying to use, abuse, and/or double   
   cross one another. All we know is that in June of 1917 the French gave the   
   Zionists a document that expressed support for a Jewish homeland in   
   Palestine, and in November of 1917 the British government did also.   
      
         The French document was so vague that it essentially stated, "Hey, a   
   homeland for Jews! Great idea! Good Luck!"   
      
         The British document had a bit more substance. Not surprisingly, the   
   French document never became important to the Zionists, while the British   
   document became referred to it as the "Balfour Declaration".   
      
         The Balfour Declaration stated that the British government would help   
   the Jews create a homeland in Palestine as long as it did not bother the   
   Palestinians. Exactly how the British could accomplish such a feat was what   
   we might refer to as "a minor detail" that the British never bothered to   
   explain. The British government had agreed to something that they could   
   easily back out of on the grounds that they cannot see how they can help the   
   Jews without annoying the Palestinians.   
      
         What this means is that the Zionists did not get anything of value   
   from the British or the French.   
      
         Did the British or the French get anything from the Zionists? Since it   
   appears that the Zionists helped encourage America to get into the war, it   
   seems that the British got what they wanted. Therefore, we might say that it   
   appears as if the British outsmarted the Zionists in this particular   
   situation.   
      
      
      
         Britain becomes guardian of Palestine   
         World War One changed the situation dramatically in Palestine because   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)