The Jews were retrieved from their world of darkness, insecurity, and random violence to a large extent by Napoleon Bonaparte. His legislation brought an end to most of the discriminatory laws against them, and got them out of the ghetto, both in France and in the states he conquered. Though, after his defeat, many states reinforced the laws set aside by him, things in Western Europe were never the same again, as they were before Napoleon.
But in Eastern Europe and Russia Jews continued to suffer much as before, and became victims of a number of pogroms in Russia. This, and the wave of nationalism in many parts of Europe, set the Jewish leaders in Western Europe thinking in terms of Jewish nationalism [Zionism] and the aspiration of a home for the diaspora Jews was born, and subsequently debated in the First Zionist Congress in Bazel, Switzerland, in 1897 under the chairmanship of Theodor Herzl. Though Herzl recommended this homeland to be established in Uganda, and there were other suggestions as well, but eventually Palestine was chosen because of its religious significance for the Jews, and ironically because of Zionist Christian [Dispensationalist] pressure as well.
The latter wanted an ingathering of Jews to occur in their ancient homeland, and for this to be hastened in order to bring forward the second coming of Christ before which, as per their belief, there would be the epic battle of Armageddon resulting in the slaughter of most of the Jews, while the surviving Jews would be converted to Christianity i.e Christ would descend in a world cleansed of all the Jews, which was a precondition for his second coming according to Dispensational belief! Thus, the earlier the Jews were gathered in the Holy Land, the earlier the world could be cleansed of them, and the earlier would the second coming of Christ occur!
In short while diaspora Jews wanted a home to be established in Palestine for religious reasons and those of security, their Zionist Christian allies wanted them to be gathered in one place so that they could conveniently be slaughtered at the Battle of Armageddon! In short, both had religious reasons of their own. The Jews believed that God had promised them a return to the promised land to be secure in, while Christian Zionists believed that if they were all gathered in one place, this would facilitate the act of cleansing the earth of their presence. It is indeed a wonder in convergent thinking that Jewish and Christian Zionists are still allies, and the latter still believe in their interpretation of the scripture and fervently pray for all the Jews around the world to be gathered in the holy land so that they can then be eliminated!
A very important motivation to create a friendly Zionist state in Palestine, from Britain’s point of view, was its close location to the Suez Canal through which much of its sea traffic to the eastern reaches of its empire flowed. Later this importance would be transferred to the U.S and its interest in controlling all points of strategic interest.
The First Zionist Congress laid the foundation stone of a Zionist state in Palestine, began collecting funds for the project, and arranging for Jews to immigrate there. At this point this was not a project of any government, but unofficially most European governments were in favour of it, though not for any altruistic reason. What most of them wanted was that Jews being driven out of Eastern Europe and Russia, instead of immigrating to their countries, would do so instead to Palestine i.e. leave their countries pristine. Antisemitic sentiments, though not quite as openly expressed in polite society as before, were still deeply held and rampant.
The slogan accompanying the launch of the Zionist project was: “a land without people, for a people without land.” That it was expected for this slogan to find general belief attests to the optimism behind it. In the year 1900, Jews formed ten percent of the population of Palestine, while Palestinian Arabs were the other ninety percent. As such this slogan did not do very well. But the Zionist project did, especially from 1917 onwards when the British signed the Balfour Declaration, though they wrested control of Palestine from the Ottomans in 1922, during the course of the First World War.
On Nov 2, 1917, the British signed the Balfour Declaration which promised “to view with favour” the formation of a Jewish state in Palestine. British assurances of help in the establishment of a Jewish state were being given to the Jews ever since the abdication of Czar Nicholas II of Russia, and it was expected that Russia would withdraw from WWI any day. This would leave Germany and the Central Powers as victors of the War, unless American Jews could prevail on their government to enter the War on the side of the Allies, which they did in Apr 1917. The Balfour Declaration is considered by some to be a fulfillment of British P.M. David Lloyd George’s promise to British Jews.
In its wording, this was a lukewarm commitment, but the trouble with it was that Britain had already promised independence to all Arab lands under the overlordship of Sharief Hussain of Mecca, in return for which promise his tribal coalition was already battling the Ottomans on the side of the British. And among the Arab lands promised to Sharief Hussain was Palestine. Thus, the Balfour Declaration ended up promising Palestine to two antagonistic parties. A lot of trouble would brew from this in the coming years.