What was the impact of the Rise of Zionism on the Arab-Israeli conflict?

Answer 1

Arab Nationalism as a movement developed as a movement in opposition to European Colonialism and Imperialism. Using European conceptions of the nation-state, Arabs declared that they should not be under the heel of a foreign government from abroad and articulated their own cultural values. This was a fundamental change in government from the pre-European leadership in the Middle East, which was predominantly Islamic Caliphates. The Islamic Caliphates were imperial monarchies united by religion in a quasi-theocratic ideology as opposed to Arab Nationalism which called for European-style secular republics based on the Arab national identity.

European Colonialism had nothing to do with the development of Zionism. Zionism developed in reaction to the nationalism in southeastern Europe. Some Jews in Europe believed that the only way to solve the "Jewish Question" satisfactorily would be to create a Jewish State, forming the Jewish Nationalist movement or Zionism. Zionists tried to convince the Ottoman Empire to allow the Jews to establish such a state in Ottoman Palestine. When the Ottomans proved disinterested, the Zionists endeavored with the European Powers to help establish a Jewish State. The Germans, French, and British declared interest in doing this and when Palestine fell under British control, Zionism began to be realized in the British Mandate.

Answer 2

Zionism is the belief that the Jews should have political self-sovereignty and is the patriotic sentiment behind the Establishment of the State of Israel. Therefore Zionism is one of the root causes of the Arab-Israeli Conflict as it provided the basis by which Jews created Israel.

It is important to note that Zionism is not the ONLY cause of the Israeli-Arab Conflict which has numerous causes including, but not limited to, land rights, water rights, Pan-Arab Nationalism, Refugee Flight, Palestinian Inability to Self-Determine, and Arab Rejection of the Viability of Zionism.