It was 1897, Herzl organized the First Zionist Congress in Switzerland, where more than 200 representatives from Jewish communities gathered. Its main goal was the establishment of a publicly recognized homeland for the Jewish people in Palestine. At the same time, the World Zionist Organization was founded to support this goal politically, financially, and organizationally. Herzl helped shape the movement in several important ways. Through his books Der Judenstaat and Altneuland, he outlined the idea of a Jewish state and even imagined what a modern society in the Holy Land could look like. He also built a political structure through the World Zionist Organization and engaged in international diplomacy, trying to gain support from both European powers and the Ottoman Empire.
At that time, Palestine was still part of the Ottoman Empire. Because of this, Herzl and his representatives tried to gain the support of the Ottoman leadership. They had several diplomatic contacts and attempted to arrange a meeting with Abdulhāmid II. During these contacts, Herzl was awarded the Order of Majidī (see picture), an Ottoman decoration that was often given to foreign diplomats, journalists, and political figures as a sign of respect.
Herzl also made a proposal to the sultan. He asked for permission to establish a Jewish state with a degree of autonomy in parts of Palestine. In return, he suggested helping the Ottoman Empire deal with its large debts. At that time, the empire was struggling financially, and Herzl believed financial support could be offered in exchange for permission to establish a Jewish homeland. The sultan rejected that proposal.
Even though this attempt failed, the Zionist movement continued. After Herzl’s death, others carried on with the plans he had helped start. In 1917, the Balfour Declaration was issued, in which United Kingdom expressed support for the establishment of a Jewish national home in Palestine. Shortly afterward, Palestine came under British administration through the British Mandate for Palestine, while Jewish immigration to the region increased.
After World War II, international support for a Jewish state grew significantly, especially because of the impact of the Holocaust. In 1947, the United Nations proposed a partition plan for Palestine, and in 1948 the State of Israel was proclaimed (which is the nakbah where they expelled Palestinians).
