What Is Zionism? Everything You Wanted to Know — Clearly Explained

by J. André Faust (Nov 6, 2025)

Many people use the term loosely, without really understanding the history of Zionism. In many cases those employing the term do so purely in a derogatory context. In this essay I aim to shed light on Zionism, showing that it comes in many flavours, and exploring how it connects to the Palestinian story.

Summary: Zionism began in the late nineteenth century as a Jewish nationalist movement seeking a secure homeland in the historic Land of Israel. The creation of Israel in 1948 fulfilled that goal for Jews, but it coincided with the mass displacement of Palestinians (the Nakba). This post explains key currents within Zionism, outlines mechanisms through which displacement occurred, examines how the Holocaust accelerated support for Zionism, and assesses whether Benjamin Netanyahu is a Zionist or chiefly influenced by Zionism.

What Is the Nakba? The term Nakba (Arabic: النكبة, “the catastrophe”) refers to the mass displacement of an estimated 700,000 Palestinians during the 1947–49 Arab–Israeli War that accompanied the creation of the State of Israel. It includes the loss of homes and land, the destruction or depopulation of hundreds of villages, and the creation of a long-term refugee crisis that remains unresolved. The Nakba is commemorated annually on 15 May and forms a central part of Palestinian historical memory and identity²¹.

---

What Is Zionism?

Definition. Zionism is the Jewish nationalist movement that sought, and now supports, a Jewish state in the ancestral homeland. The term derives from “Zion”, a biblical name for Jerusalem and the Land of Israel¹.

Why It Arose. In the late 1800s, European antisemitism and the wider wave of national movements led figures such as Theodor Herzl to organise for a recognised Jewish homeland, combining diplomacy, settlement, and cultural revival^{1, 2}.

Key Strands of Zionism

• Political Zionism: diplomatic recognition and legal guarantees for a Jewish state¹.
• Labour / Practical Zionism: building “facts on the ground” through immigration, agriculture, and the kibbutz movement^{2, 3}.
• Revisionist Zionism: nationalist, security-first doctrine influencing the modern Israeli right³.
• Religious Zionism: national return framed as biblical fulfilment⁴.
• Cultural Zionism: revival of Hebrew language and Jewish culture⁵.

---

How the Holocaust Shaped Modern Zionism

Zionism did not arise from the Holocaust. It began in the late nineteenth century, long before the rise of Nazism. However, the Holocaust fundamentally transformed the global and Jewish context in which Zionism operated, accelerating political support for a Jewish homeland².

Why the Holocaust Accelerated Support for Zionism

1. Statelessness became a life-and-death issue. Without a sovereign state, Jews were left unprotected and unable to flee genocide².
2. Western countries refused Jewish refugees. Events such as the turning away of the MS St. Louis demonstrated the dangers of statelessness¹¹.
3. Displaced survivors needed resettlement. Hundreds of thousands lived in DP camps before migrating to Palestine or elsewhere^{12, 16}.
4. Global sympathy shifted. Post-Holocaust sentiment influenced support for the 1947 UN Partition Plan^{13, 14, 15}.

Conclusion. The Holocaust did not create Zionism, but it reshaped its urgency and global reception, contributing to the diplomatic environment that enabled the creation of Israel in 1948.

---

How Zionism Connects to Palestinian Displacement

1947–49 War and the Nakba. The UN Partition Plan triggered war, during which over 700,000 Palestinians were displaced and more than 400 villages were depopulated or destroyed. Scholars debate causes and intent, but the scale of displacement is well documented^{6, 19, 20}.

• Military operations and expulsions (with contested debate over intent).
• Siege and psychological warfare contributing to mass flight.
• Post-war property laws preventing return.

After 1967. Israel’s capture of the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem introduced a long-term military occupation and an expanding settlement enterprise that fragmented Palestinian land and deepened displacement pressures^{7, 10, 18}.

---

Is Benjamin Netanyahu a Zionist or Influenced by Zionism?

Political lineage. Likud is descended from Revisionist Zionism, founded by Ze’ev Jabotinsky. Netanyahu’s father, Benzion Netanyahu, was a major figure in that tradition and deeply influenced his son’s worldview⁸.

Policy direction. Netanyahu has repeatedly opposed a Palestinian state and expanded settlement growth, reinforcing unilateral security control over the West Bank^{9, 10, 17}.

Conclusion. Netanyahu is both a Zionist and a political heir to Revisionist Zionism. His policies reflect a maximalist security approach that prioritises Jewish sovereignty between the river and the sea.

---

Key Takeaways

• Zionism is diverse — political, cultural, labour, religious, and revisionist.
• The Holocaust accelerated the urgency and global support for Zionism.
• The Nakba produced a lasting Palestinian refugee crisis.
• Netanyahu’s ideology is rooted in Revisionist Zionism.

---

References

1. Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2025). Zionism. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Zionism
2. University of Michigan, Centre for Middle Eastern and North African Studies. (n.d.). Zionism unit: Israel and Palestine — Section 1. https://lsa.umich.edu/.../Section1_Zionism.pdf
3. Jewish Virtual Library. (n.d.). Revisionist Zionism. https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/revisionist-zionism
4. Wikipedia contributors. (2025). Types of Zionism. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Types_of_Zionism
5. Temple Emanu-El. (n.d.). Types of Zionism. https://images.shulcloud.com/.../TypesofZionism.pdf
6. Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2024). 1948 Arab–Israeli War. https://www.britannica.com/event/1948-Arab-Israeli-War
7. Reuters. (2024, July 19). UN’s top court says Israel’s occupation and settlements are illegal. https://www.reuters.com/.../2024-07-19/
8. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. (2012). The enduring influence of Benjamin Netanyahu’s father. https://carnegieendowment.org/.../benjamin-netanyahus-father
9. Time Magazine. (2015, March 17). Netanyahu vows no Palestinian state while he is prime minister. https://time.com/3746427/
10. Associated Press. (2025, February 4). Jewish settler population in the West Bank keeps rising. https://apnews.com/.../f152a95
11. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. (2024). Voyage of the St. Louis. https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/.../voyage-of-the-st-louis
12. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. (n.d.). Displaced persons. https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/.../displaced-persons
13. United Nations. (1947). Resolution 181 (II): Future government of Palestine. https://www.un.org/unispal/.../auto-insert-185393
14. United Nations Digital Library. (1948). Future government of Palestine: Resolutions adopted during the 2nd session. https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/667161
15. United Nations. (n.d.). A/RES/181(II). https://docs.un.org/a/res/181(ii)
16. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. (n.d.). The aftermath of the Holocaust. https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/.../aftermath
17. Associated Press. (2023). Settler population in West Bank surpasses 500,000. https://apnews.com/.../e566
18. Reuters. (2025, March 18). Israel is ramping up annexation of the West Bank, UN rights chief says. https://www.reuters.com/.../2025-03-18/
19. Pappé, I. (2006). The ethnic cleansing of Palestine. Oneworld Publications.
20. Khalidi, W. (1992). All that remains: The Palestinian villages occupied and depopulated by Israel in 1948. Institute for Palestine Studies.
21. Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2024). Nakba. https://www.britannica.com/event/Nakba

About the Author

J. André Faust writes The Connected Mind, exploring how politics, economics, and society interlock. The guiding idea is to trace feedback, surface assumptions, and revise beliefs as evidence changes.