The Rise of the Zionist Movement

The convening of the First Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzerland, in 1897, and the establishment of the World Zionist Organization, can be regarded as the formal declaration of the Zionist movement’s emergence as a political organization.

Theodor Herzl successfully promoted the idea of colonizing Palestine and establishing a homeland for Jews there. One of the most significant outcomes of the Congress was the establishment of the World Zionist Organization to implement the Zionist Program, which stated that “the aim of Zionism is to create for the Jewish people a home in Palestine secured under public law.”

The First Zionist Congress in Basel was followed by numerous subsequent congresses, including the 23rd Zionist Congress, which was held after the Nakba on 14 August 1951.