The Making of Eretz Israel in the Modern Era: A Historical-Geographical Study (1799-1949)

Description

Napoleon's invasion of the Middle East marks the beginning of the modern era in the region. This book traces the developments that led to the making of a new and separate geographical-political entity in the Middle East known as Eretz Israel and the establishment of the State of Israel within its bounds. Thus, its time frame runs from Napoleon's invasion of Eretz Israel / Palestine in 1799 to the establishment of Israel in 1948-1949. Eretz Israel as the formal name of a separate entity in the modern era first appeared in the early translations into Hebrew of the Balfour Declaration, while in the original document the country was referred to as "Palestine." During the period of Ottoman rule the territory that would in time be called Eretz Israel / Palestine was not a separate political unit. Among Jews, use of "Eretz Israel" increased only after the beginning of Zionist aliyot. Had the Zionist movement not arisen, it is doubtful whether the development to which this study is devoted would have occurred. The motivating force behind that process is without doubt the Zionist element. That is why Jews are the major protagonists in this book. The Balfour Declaration Preface Contents Part One: The late Ottoman period 1799–1917/18 Chapter 1. When did the modern era begin in Eretz Israel? Chapter 2. Nineteenth-century travel literature Chapter 3. Was the Holy Land empty or inhabited in the nineteenth century? Chapter 4. Nineteenth-century Jewish Jerusalem Chapter 5. The period of the First Aliyah, 1882–1904 Chapter 6. Herzl and political Zionism, the Second Aliyah, and World War I Part Two: The British Mandate period 1917/18–1947/48 Chapter 7. The Balfour Declaration, the British conquest of Eretz Israel, and military rule, 1917–1920 Chapter 8. The peace conferences; developments in Eretz Israel under High Commissioner Herbert Samuel Chapter 9. High Commissioners Herbert Plumer (1925–1928) and John Chancellor (1929–1931); the riots of 1928–1929 Chapter 10. High Commissioner Wauchope: the first years, 1931–1935 Chapter 11. The end of the British Mandate, 1936–1947 Chapter 12. Israel’s War of Independence, 1947–1949 General summary: The making of Eretz Israel as a geographical entity and establishment of the State of Israel within it: The result of a process of 150 years, 1799–1949 Select Bibliography Index of Persons