It is said that Jews had lived in what is today Israel and Palestine from about 1500 BCE. After the Roman conquest in 64 BCE, the region became integrated into the Roman Empire. Subsequent revolts against Roman rule led to the dispersion of Jews, with many settling in Europe and other parts of the Arab world, while a minority maintained residence in Palestine. This diaspora was marked by challenges, as Jews globally became targets of anti-Semitism, enduring various forms of abuse.
The dream to return to the biblical ‘Land of Israel’, emerged as a poignant desire among Jews seeking refuge from persecution. The turning point occurred in 1896 with Theodor Herzl’s publication of The Jewish State, a book advocating a unified Jewish nation-state. Herzl’s vision, however, introduced a controversial element—the vision of a Jewish state serving as a Western colonial outpost in the heart of the Arab world.
With support from influential Jewish lobbies in the United States and Britain, Zionism—advocating for the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine—transformed from a conceptual idea to a tangible reality. Jewish immigrants, backed by the desire to create a nation-state, were poised to displace Arabs from the land. Against the backdrop of recent tensions between Israel and Palestine, Michael Scott-Bauman’s book, Shortest History of Israel and Palestine, emerges as a compellingly timely read.
