”Jag hatar araber, därför är jag för Israels krigande”

Theodor Herzl’s political Zionism was explicitly rooted in 19th-century European colonialism. Herzl framed the movement as an "outpost of civilization against barbarism" and secured European imperial patronage. In a famous 1902 letter to Cecil Rhodes, he explicitly sought British backing for the Jewish state by emphasizing that the endeavor was inherently colonial.The colonial framework of Herzl's Zionism is characterized by:Imperial Solicitation: Herzl courted major colonial powers of the era—including the Ottoman Empire, the German Empire, and Great Britain—to sponsor the project.The "Colony" Alternative: Along with Palestine, he considered colonizing territories in Argentina, Cyprus, the Sinai Peninsula, and British East Africa (the Uganda Scheme) as viable locations for a Jewish homeland.Terminology: In his writings and correspondence, Herzl frequently used the word "colonization" to describe the organized migration and settlement of Jewish refugees.The nature of these actions remains intensely debated. Scholars and critics often categorize Zionism as a form of settler colonialism, pointing to Herzl's reliance on European empires and the displacement of the indigenous population. Conversely, many historians and supporters argue that because Zionism did not serve an overseas imperial metropole and was driven by a stateless, persecuted people seeking self-determination, it does not fit the traditional structural definition of colonialism.

Zionism has been described by several scholars as a form of settler colonialism in relation to the region of Palestine and the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Zionism's founders and early leaders were aware and outspoken about their status as colonizers; early leading Zionists such as Theodor Herzl, Max Nordau, and Ze'ev Jabotinsky described Zionism as colonization.

Scholars analyzing Herzl’s writings argue that he did not view Zionism merely as a national liberation movement but as a settler-colonial scheme requiring a charter from a European power, the creation of a Jewish Colonial Trust for financing, and the systematic removal of Jews from Europe to colonize non-European lands. This perspective highlights how Herzl adopted the language of colonialism prevalent in early 20th-century Europe to legitimize the establishment of a Jewish state.

Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern political Zionism, explicitly described the Zionist project as colonial in a 1902 letter to Cecil Rhodes, stating: "Because it is something colonial."

He further emphasized the necessity of this approach in his writings and diaries, asserting that "Without colonization, Zionism is nothing but a castle in the air" and noting that "Philanthropic colonization is a failure. National colonization will succeed."

Herz also acknowledged the challenges of settling an inhabited land, writing in his diary that "The undertaking will be made great and promising by the granting of colonial rights," and suggesting that the displacement of the local population must be carried out "discreetly and circumspectly."