Definition: Zionism (scroll down for answer)       Definition: Zionism Led by Theodore Herzl, this was a movement in the late nineteenth century to find a permanent homeland for Jews in the Holy Land in the Middle East. In 1917, a letter (known as the Balfour Declaration) written by British Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour called for the creation of a Jewish state within Palestine. In 1947, the United Nations divided Palestine into both a Palestinian state, and a Jewish one. Israel became an independent state on May 14, 1948. Almost immediately, Arab nations invaded in what would be the first of four Arab-Israeli wars. Israel pushed back the threat. David Ben-Gurion became the first Prime Minister of Israel. Click here for next flash card.      Back to eFlashcard headquarters