Avraham Goldstein
Zionism is composed of two parts:
...
1) Jews should return to their historical ancestral homeland [the land of Israel - Zion is the name of the fortress of king David in Jerusalem, which for 3000 years symbolizes connection between Bnei Israel and this land]
2) Jews should strive to reinstate a State on/in their land.
Now, the general Zionism does not specify the reasons WHY should Jews strive for these two goals. Nor does it specify, what kind of State should they strive to reinstate and how [using which means].
Historically, there were several Zionist groups - each one had its own reasons as to WHY they wanted these goals achieved and HOW to achieve them and WHAT KIND OF STATE do they want to create/have. These groups often fought with each-other. Let me briefly list the main groups.
Zionism is composed of two parts:
...
1) Jews should return to their historical ancestral homeland [the land of Israel - Zion is the name of the fortress of king David in Jerusalem, which for 3000 years symbolizes connection between Bnei Israel and this land]
2) Jews should strive to reinstate a State on/in their land.
Now, the general Zionism does not specify the reasons WHY should Jews strive for these two goals. Nor does it specify, what kind of State should they strive to reinstate and how [using which means].
Historically, there were several Zionist groups - each one had its own reasons as to WHY they wanted these goals achieved and HOW to achieve them and WHAT KIND OF STATE do they want to create/have. These groups often fought with each-other. Let me briefly list the main groups.
1) Socialist Zionists - the ruling and the dominating group from 1920ies till 1980ies - believed that the Jews can not integrate into the World [unless they totally assimilate] and that, just like any other nation, they should have their o...wn land and their own state [so they can function like French and Russians and Japanese - just like any other normal nation does]. On that land they wanted to create a socialist Jewish state, which will be just like a European socialist state [like Sweden] and which, while being dominated by the Jewish nation and culture [language, literature, history, etc.], will function as the state of all its residents [Jews, Arabs, Druze, etc. - just like Sweden, while being dominated by Swiss, is a country of all its residents]
2) Communist "Zionists" - they wanted to bring the Communist revolution to the land of Israel / Palestine and to create a communist [or a strongly socialist] State, in which both Jews and Arabs will live as equal objects. This state would be part of the World Socialist / Communist Camp.
3) Nationalist (secular) Zionists - they wanted Jews to return to the land of Israel and to reinstate the Jewish State there for nationalistic reasons. So Jewish nation will again [like in the ancient times] have its State and its dignity ...and will function like a normal and healthy nation. The State would be a clear Jewish State, but other non-Jews could freely live in it and be its citizens as long as they do not represent danger to the Jewish State nor attack it nor behave against it. The leaders of the moderate part of the Nationalist Zionist Camp first time came to power in 1978 [till that time the (1) group had a dictatorial grip over Israel]. Since that time [1978] there is more freedom and balance in Israeli politics.
4) Religious Zionists - they believe that there is an OBLIGATION from the Torah for all the Jews to strive to return to Israel and to reinstall the Jewish State in it. This State, ideally, will be governed by HALAKHAH [Jewish religious Jur...isprudence - like Sharia Law in Islam]. But, since most of the nation is not ready for that now, some compromise(s) with groups (1) and (3) as to how the State will look like and to how the State will be governed need to be made. In past 30-40 years vast majority of this group sees in group (2) their close allies [politically].
5) Religious non-Zionists [but not anti-Zionists] - this group felt that while the process of Zionism ideally could be a good thing, since it is now in the hands of people from groups (1), (2) and (3), who are secular and many of whom are ...even VERY anti-religious [especially, groups (1) and (2)], they should not get close with it and should stay away from it, while supporting specific events and developments, which they like and trying to utilize it for the benefit of their group(s). Classical examples of this approach are: Agudath Israel movement and United Torah Judaism party in Israel.
Now, while supporting some subgroups of the (4) group, I have strong connections and sympathy to the (3) group and to the (5) group as well. It seems to me that our friend Ben Abrahamson belongs to the (5) group [he is NOT anti-Zionist, like Neturei Karta sect].
Now, for many leaders and influential people from groups (1) and from "centrists" and "post-Zionists" [as also for the "elitist" European-style leftists and liberals] Zionism is a form/way of colonization. For them it is beneficial because ...they feel that they are the carrier of these "important values" to the Middle East. Hence they should be the ones in power. They utilize it to have power, money, control and respect and to feel important. While they think very highly of themselves, in truth they are just a cheap concubine of the West.
Here are some examples of [links to] the fights between the groups:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wi
http://www.jewishvirtualli
...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wi
http://en.wikipedia.org/wi
http://www.jewishvirtualli
...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wi
http://sultanknish.blogspo
http://www.google.com/imag
http://www.google.com/imag
