The Fight Against Zionism during The First World War and the Jewish Deportation: The Evacuation of Gaza and Jaffa

Abstract

During the First World War, the Zionists continued their separatist activities despite the defense of the Ottoman Empire’s territorial integrity by the Rabbinate and Alliance schools. Despite the military and administrative measures taken by the Ottoman State, the Zionists’ influence on the Palestinian Front could not be broken. After the First Gaza War, the Ottoman Empire evacuated the cities of Gaza and Jaffa for military reasons. The deported Jews were settled in Jewish settlements neighboring Palestine under the intense security measures taken by the Ottoman Government. The Jewish deportation was turned into a smear and slander campaign against the Ottoman Empire by the Zionist movement, which had a strong influence in the press. The deportation incident prepared the ground for an anti-Turkish reaction in the European public opinion that would overshadow the Armenian deportation. With a successful public diplomacy in Europe, the Ottoman Empire helped to dissipate the anti-Ottoman atmosphere to a great extent. However, the Jewish deportation exploited by the Zionist propaganda caused some anti-Ottoman claims to survive.