UNPACKED – Zionism: The Backstory: Was Zionism a Form of Colonialism? | The Israeli-Palestinian Context
This week on Unpacked, we are moving on to part two of our new six-part series The Israeli-Palestinian Context.
In this episode we trace the rich and complex history of Zionism from the Roman exile of the Jews from Zion, or the Land of Israel, around 70 CE, to the emergence of modern political Zionism in the late 1890s, and to the present day.
Over this span of thousands of years, what is it that caused the connection between the terms Zionism and colonialism? How are these ideas rooted, or not rooted, in the context of the history of Israel?
And what does all of this mean in a historical context and what is the hidden truth of the Arabs who lived in Mandatory Palestine before the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948?
We’re unpacking the journey of the Zionist — from the beginning of the Roman exile in 70 CE to the present — its relationship with the Arabs in Mandatory Palestine, and its equation to colonialists today. Rooted in the word for the Land of Israel, Zion, the word Zionist may not actually be as “modern” as you thought! In fact, Zionists have been around for thousands of years. The complex and rich history of Israel’s path to statehood is abundant with often-overlooked facts. Historically known as Zion, the Land of Israel has a long and winding past that touches on many peoples, cultures and events.
