Toynbee. Zionism is "in essetce a secular. economicopolitical expression of Jewish .national aspirations." The Zionist movement .today is definitely an urge of political nationalism. and the Jewish settlement is no longer regarded as a settlement of Palestinian Jews in Palestineif it were ever so regardedbut of national Jews in Eretz Israel. Therein lies the tragic impossibility of reconciliation between immigrant Jew and aboriginal Arab. Judging by recorded statements of Zionist leaders it is fair to conclude that. at the outset. the policy of Zionism did not aim at political dominance in Palestine. At the tenth Zionist. congress. held at Basle in August 1911. the president made a statement. from which the following is extracted: "Only those suffering from gross ignorance or actuated by malice. could accuse us of the desire of establishing an independent Jewish Kingdom. * * * The aim of Zionism is the erection for the Jewish people of a publicly recognized. legally secured home In Palestine. Not a Jewish state. but a home in the ancient land of our forefathers where we can live a Jewish life without oppression and persecution. What we demand is that the Jewish immigrant to Palestine be giver the opportunity of naturalizing as a citizen without limitation and that he can live unhindered in accordance with Jewish customs * * * that and nothing else is our aim." In the introduction to his History of Zionismwritten during 1918Mr. Sokolov. at that time president of the Zionist organization. wrote: "It has been said. and is still being obstinately repeated by antiZionists again and again. that Zionism aims at the creation of an independent Jewish state. But this is wholly fallacious.
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immigrant naturalizing