Zion: The Promised Land

By Jagath Jayaprakash

Zion: The Promised Land is a brief history of Israel-the Jewish homeland from Biblical times to the 21st century. The history of Israel is connected with the history and culture of the Jews. Judaism is the world's oldest civilization, and it is predicated on notions that are both Semitic and Monolithic. Even 1000 years before the advent of Christ, the Jews had a rich written history. In addition to archaeology, biology, historical textual records, religious literature, and mythology, the prehistory and ethnic genesis of the Jews are inextricably intertwined. For the preceding 3000 years, the Jews have clung to their religious beliefs, practices, and cultural heritage while keeping a strong sense of social individuality. We might learn that such a civilization is exceedingly unique in the history of humanity.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jagath Jayaprakash
• Release date: Mar 14, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215791103

Jagath Jayaprakash

Jagath Jayaprakash is an Academic Administrator by profession and an avid writer by intellectual pursuit. In addition, he publishes Op-Ed Articles on Political history, National security, Cyber warfare, and International relations in Malayalam and English for major media outlets like as Manorama Online, Janmabhumi, Indus Scrolls, Organiser, Kesari, and a host of other prominent news websites.

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Jagath Jayaprakash

Zion: The Promised Land

Copyright © 2023 by Jagath Jayaprakash

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

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Contents

An Introductory Note

The Early Biblical Period

The Advocacy for a Jewish Homeland

Theodor Herzl: Founder of the Political Zionism

The History of Aliyah

Holocaust

Nuremberg Trials

The British Mandate and Arab Israeli War

Six days war

Yom Kippur War

The PLO and Peace Treaties

Bibliography

An Introductory Note

The history of Israel is connected with the history and culture of the Jews. Judaism is the world’s oldest civilisation, and it is predicated on notions that are both Semitic and Monolithic. Even 1000 years before the advent of Christ, the Jews had a rich written history. In addition to archaeology, biology, historical textual records, religious literature, and mythology, the prehistory and ethnogenesis of the Jews are inextricably intertwined. For the preceding 3000 years, the Jews have clung to their religious beliefs, practices, and cultural heritage while keeping a strong sense of social individuality. We might learn that such a civilisation is exceedingly unique in the history of humanity.

The Early Biblical Period

The Jews believe that their ancestors may be traced back to Biblical patriarchs such as Abraham, Isaac, and Isaac’s son Jacob in the Hebrew Bible story. They all resided in the ancient Canaan region, which has now been transformed into contemporary Israel. In ancient Mesopotamia, the Israelites were a confederation of Iron Age Semitic-speaking tribes that inhabited the region from the ‘Ur’ region of Mesopotamia to Canaan during the tribal and monarchic periods. Tell el- Muqayya was an important Sumerian city-state located on modern Tell el- Muqayya. Abraham, his son Isaac, Isaac’s son Jacob, and Abraham’s twelve children all contributed to the enrichment of the Jewish community. The Twelve Tribes are represented as descended from the twelve sons of Jacob. They were themselves descended from the twelve sons of Jacob. According to Genesis 32:22—32, which is also mentioned in Hosea 12:4, Jacob comes face to face with a man who proceeds to grapple with him till daylight. At the end of the storey, Jacob is blessed and given the name Israel, but the man refuses to reveal his own identity. Several scholars believe this individual to be God in human form. The gods favoured Jacob because he could contend with both men and gods simultaneously.

Later on, the Jewish community saw tremendous growth. Jacob and his 12 sons resided in Egypt during the time of the Exodus. In Egypt, the twelve sons of Jacob were represented by twelve tribes, which symbolised the twelve tribes of Israel. Along with the development of culture, the history of exploitation of the Jewish population began to unfold throughout this period. The Jews were exploited by Ramses II, the Pharaoh of Egypt. The majority of the population were Jews. They were persecuted during the construction of the Pyramids, which took place under the reign of Ramses II. Thousands of Jews were held as slaves by the Pharaohs throughout this time.

When the persecution and enslavement grew untenable, the Jews of Egypt began to flee to their ancestral homeland of Canaan, under the leadership of Moses, and eventually returned there. The storey of the Hebrew Bible provides a detailed description of this journey. A 1956 American epic religious drama film produced, directed, and narrated by Cecil B. DeMille, The Ten Commandments tells the storey of the Jews’ march towards Canaan under the leadership of Moses, as depicted in the book of Exodus. Moses begs God to open a passage for them through the Red Sea, which he does. The water of the Red Sea was divided into two parts by the hand of God, allowing Moses and his entourage to pass and go to the land of Canaan. This historic exodus under the guidance of Moses aided the Jews in their efforts to build a robust and united faith. It is possible that their long and terrible travel and servitude enlightened the spiritual lamp within their minds. They successfully conquered the Canaanite region and divided it equally among 12 tribes. They coexisted happily and without conflict for hundreds of years. Judges were the tribal chieftains who ruled over these tribes. During that period, most people in most regions of the world, except for big India, were engaged in a battle for desire and money. The unity of the Jews in the Canaanite region served as a model for the entire world at the time.

King Saul later gathered the twelve tribes of Israel and united them under the banner of the Kingdom of Israel. Saul was replaced by David, whom Solomon later succeeded. They were the most powerful kings Israel had ever known in its history. In the same way that the age of Samrat Ashoka and Vikramaditya is regarded as the Golden Age of India, the era of Solomon and David is regarded as the Golden Era of Israeli history. During the reign of King David, Jerusalem was designated as the nation’s capital. Following the death of King Solomon, the United Monarchy was disbanded and divided into two independent kingdoms: the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah. The Kingdom of Judah consists of the Tribes of Judah and Benjamin, with the Tribe of Judah being the largest.

The Era of Exile followed the Golden Era of Israelite history. Between the sixth and ninth centuries BCE, a period saw the conquest of Israel and Judah by Assyrian and Babylonian armies. During the era of exile, the Babylonians demolished a large number of synagogues, which served as Jewish houses of worship. This was a dark period in the history of the Jews. During this time, Babylonians and Jews were classified as second-class citizens in the eyes of the law. During this time, Jews were forced to flee to several neighbouring countries. When Persia conquered Babylon, the seventy-year Babylonian captivity in Israel ended, and the Jews who had escaped to a neighbouring state during the exile period were able to return to their homeland. With the assistance of Persia, they began to reestablish their culture and religious traditions.

Israel’s delight, however, did not last for very long. Following the conquest of the Persian Kingdom by ‘Alexander the Great,’ the Greek invasion completely obliterated the cultural and social icons of Jewish culture and society. The Seleucids, Alexander’s army chiefs, began to disseminate Greek culture and ideas throughout Persia and Israel during the reign of Alexander. He transformed many Synagogues into temples dedicated to Suez, the Greek deity. As a result of this invasion, there was much fighting between the Jews and the Greek army.

Following the Greek invasion, the Romans launched an invasion of the Jews, resulting in a battle between the Polytheism of the Romans and the Monotheism of the Jews. During this time, the Jewish community was subjected to some setbacks and persecution, and the Jewish community was subjected to the cruelties of fate. Jesus Christ was born during this time, and he was martyred.

So, like Prithviraj Chauhan and Pazhassi Raja were deceived by local deceivers in India, the new light of humanity; Jesus Christ was also betrayed by Jewish leaders in Rome who were helping the Romans for their selfish interests in the world. A new Semitic religion sprung up after Jesus Christ’s crucifixion and his subsequent death on the cross. Eventually, it dominated the entire globe in its latter stages.

The Jews were adamant about not accepting their humiliation. When it was feasible, they fought valiantly against the Romans’ assault. During 66 AD, the region was hit by a severe drought, which brought the dispute ahead. The massive Roman army put down the Jewish resistance, which showed no mercy to the Jewish population throughout its suppression. Many Jews perished due to the Roman Army’s destruction of Jewish temples and other worship sites. This terrible rebellion harmed the future of the Jewish community. King Solomon’s Sacred Second Temple in Jerusalem was entirely demolished. Just the western wall remained a memorial to the destruction of the city’s capital, Jerusalem.

Because they did not have a single place of worship in their sacred country, the spirituality of the Jews was severely harmed as a result of this. The Roman Army was able to end the regular clashes in the area. Many Jews perished in the Holocaust, while many were sold into slavery. The Jewish people’s cultural legacy has been lost. This marked the beginning of their 2000-year-long exile from their homeland.

During the Roman invasion from AD 66 and 324, the Diaspora was in the midst of its most severe episode. Jews were forcibly exiled from their ancestral homeland of Canaan, which stretched from the western bank of the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea during this time. During this era, a renaming ceremony took place for the Southern Kingdom of Judah, which included two prominent Jewish tribes’ kingdoms and was called Palestine.

Invading Roman armies attacked all cultural and social characteristics of Jews. They demolished all indications of the Jewish community, including the holy Synagogue of Jerusalem, rebuilt following the Greek invasion. When they envisioned the utter annihilation of one of the world’s oldest civilizations, they began moving to various regions of the world, including Europe, Africa, and India. In order to retain their own culture, they had to collaborate with the local populations in the locations where they had settled. In addition, they could swiftly adjust to the new location because of their inherent brilliance and creativity, which resulted in harsh persecution during the exile period.

Everywhere globally, new migrants are met with suspicion and hostility by the local population, especially when they are exceptionally clever and talented. As a result, the Jewish population was subjected to harsh persecution in most countries throughout the world during this time. Only in Babylonia, which had previously attacked the Jews, could they live in relative peace. Christianism and the Church rose to prominence in Europe and other areas throughout this period.

By wielding their ancient spiritual authority, the Jews could limit the tremendous evangelism of Christian churches. Conflicts between Christian churches and Jewish communities were common in most regions of the world. They were particularly acute in the Middle East. Jesus Christ’s crucifixion was attributed to Jews, who were represented as being to blame. In many places of Europe and Africa, they were violently assaulted and tormented. The Jews were the most persecuted population in the Middle East during the Crusades as Islamism swept throughout the region. According to historical evidence, Jews lived peacefully in Islamic countries when Europe controlled the Catholic Church and the Roman Empire. Even though they were classified as second-class citizens in Islamic countries, they were allowed to worship and practise