The Land of Israel, Zionism and the State of Israel

The identity crisis that the State of Israel is currently facing is tied to controversies that have been part of the Zionist movement from its inception. These include ideological and sociological struggles over hegemony in matters of settlement and state, Israel’s geographic conditions and natural resources, the attitude towards the Arab population and Israel’s situation as a young nation-state forced to contend with an alienated, anti-Semitic world.

This unit deals with the various streams in Zionism and their development within the political and social history of the State of Israel. The geographic and settlement contexts in Eretz Israel will be analyzed from a historical-Biblical perspective and discussion will focus on current national issues, such as the legal status of Israel’s Arabs and the proprietorship of national lands, in view of the de facto Arab takeover of the Negev, the Galilee and the Triangle.