The Ottoman Policy Towards Jewish Immigration and Settlement in Palestine: 1882-1920
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THE OTTOMAN POLICY TOWARDS JEWISH IMMIGRATION AND SETTLEMENT IN PALESTINE: 1882-1920 A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY BY BÜŞRA BARIN IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN THE DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS DECEMBER 2014 Approval of the Graduate School of Social Sciences Prof. Dr. Meliha Altunışık Director I certify that this thesis satisfies all the requirements as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science. Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Bağcı Head of Department This is to certify that we have read this thesis and that in our opinion it is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Özlem Tür Supervisor Examining Committee Members Prof. Dr. Meliha Altunışık (METU, IR) Assoc. Prof. Dr. Özlem Tür (METU, IR) Assist. Prof. Dr. İlker Aytürk (BILKENT, POLS) ii PLAGIARISM I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I also declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and referenced all material and results that are not original to this work. Name, Last Name: Büşra Barın Signature : iii ABSTRACT THE OTTOMAN POLICY TOWARDS JEWISH IMMIGRATION AND SETTLEMENT IN OTTOMAN PALESTINE: 1882-1920 Barın, Büşra M.S., Department of International Relations Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Özlem Tür December 2014, 237 pages This thesis analyzes the characteristics of the Ottoman policy towards Jewish immigration and settlement in Palestine during the period between 1882 and 1920. When the waves of the Jewish immigration to the Ottoman Palestine started in 1882, the Ottoman government put restrictions on it as some of the Jewish immigrants were motivated by Zionist idea and had political aims in Palestine. However, despite the Ottoman restrictions, a Zionist presence emerged in Palestine. In this respect, this research undertakes to examine the factors that prevented the Ottomans from pursuing a restrictive policy towards Zionist movement. The aim of this research is to indicate that the popular beliefs concerning the Ottoman policy towards Zionism at present are mistaken and the issue is more complex. This thesis will also seek to answer the questions such as how the foreign Jews were able to go and settle in the Ottoman Palestine while questioning the capability of the Ottoman system to manage the control of its regulations. In this framework, the interest of the Ottoman leaders in the Zionist movement in Palestine will also be questioned. Keywords: Jewish immigration and settlement, Ottoman policy, Palestine, Zionist movement iv ÖZ 1882-1920 ARASI OSMANLI FİLİSTİNİ‘NE OLAN YAHUDİ GÖÇ VE İSKANINA YÖNELİK OSMANLI POLİTİKASI Barın, Büşra Yüksek Lisans, Uluslararası İlişkiler Bölümü Tez Yöneticisi: Doç. Dr. Özlem Tür Aralık 2014, 237 sayfa Bu çalışma, 1882 ve 1920 yılları arası Osmanlı Devleti‘nin Filistin‘deki Yahudi göç ve iskanına olan politikasını incelemektedir. 1882‘de Osmanlı Filistin‘ine Yahudi göçü dalgası başlayınca, bazı Yahudi göçmenler Siyonist düşünce ile Filistin‘de siyasi amaçlar güttüklerinden, Osmanlı Hükümeti Filistin‘e göçü yasakladı. Fakat, Osmanlı yasaklarına rağmen, Filistin‘de Siyonist bir varlık oluştu. Bu bağlamda, bu çalışma Osmanlıların Siyonist harekete karşı kısıtlayıcı bir politika izlemesini engelleyen faktörleri incelemeyi taahhüt etmektedir. Bu araştırmanın amacı günümüzde Siyonizm‘e yönelik Osmanlı politikasıyla ilgili popüler düşüncelerin yanlış olduğunu ve bu konunun çok daha kompleks olduğunu göstermektir. Bu tez Osmanlı Hükümetinin ne ölçüde Filistin‘deki Yahudi hareketini kısıtlamak istediğini sorgularken, aynı zamanda yabancı Yahudiler‘in Osmanlı Hükümeti tarafından uygulanan birçok yasağa rağmen nasıl Osmanlı Filistin‘ine gidip yerleşebildiği gibi sorulara da yanıt aramaktadır. Bu çerçevede, Osmanlı liderlerinin Filistin‘deki Siyonist Hareket‘e olan ilgileri de sorgulanacaktır. Anahtar Kelimeler: Yahudi göçü ve iskanı, Osmanlı politikası, Filistin, Siyonist hareket v DEDICATION To My Mother vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The author wishes to express her deepest gratitude to her supervisor Assoc. Prof. Dr. Özlem Tür for her guidance, advice, criticism, encouragements, insight and patience throughout the research. The author would like to thank the examining committee members Prof. Dr. Meliha Altunışık for her constructive comments and suggestions and Assoc. Prof. Dr. İlker Aytürk for his invaluable comments and critiques as well as providing several books in order to enrich the content of her study. The author is grateful for the continuous support and patience of her angel mother, her father and her brothers Burak and Berkay. The author thanks Abdullah for his endless encouragements and moral support. The author is also grateful for the continuous support of her namesake, colleague, confidant and bosom friend Büşra Öğütçü throughout the writing process of her thesis. The author also acknowledges the moral and material support of her colleagues Coşkun Musluk, Tolgahan Akdan, Burak Erdinç, Çağdaş Özeniş, Yelda Erçandırlı, Günseli Durmaz and Burcu Babayiğit. Lastly, the author is thankful to Esra Dereağzı for her technical assistance regarding the design of this thesis. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS PLAGIARISM ............................................................................................................ iii ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................ iv ÖZ ................................................................................................................................. v DEDICATION ............................................................................................................ vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .......................................................................................... vii TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................... viii LIST OF TABLES ...................................................................................................... xi LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................... xii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................... xiii CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 1 2. OTTOMAN POLICY TO THE JEWISH IMMIGRATION AND SETTLEMENT IN PALESTINE: 1882-1908 ........................................................................................ 9 2.1 Emergence of Zionism...................................................................................... 10 2.2 Start of the Aliyah to Ottoman Palestine .......................................................... 16 2.3 Zionist Project in Palestine ............................................................................... 22 2.4 Protégé System and the Interests of the Foreign Powers in the Jewish Immigration and Settlement ................................................................................... 30 2.5 Ottoman Restrictive Policy towards Zionist Movement .................................. 35 2.6 Theodor Herzl, His Diplomatic Contacts and the WZO .................................. 42 2.6.1 A Critical Review of ‗the Meeting‘ and Abdulhamid‘s standing on Zionism ................................................................................................................................ 47 2.6.2 Herzl‘s Diplomatic Talks in Europe .......................................................... 55 2.7 Ineffectiveness of the Restrictions .................................................................... 58 viii 2.7.1 The Role of the Foreign Powers on the Jewish Settlement in Palestine .... 59 2.7.2 Ottoman Nationality Law& Issue of Citizenship ...................................... 62 2.7.3 Contradictions in the Ottoman Policy towards the Zionist Immigration and Settlement ........................................................................................................... 64 2.7.4 Corruption .................................................................................................. 69 2.8 The Zionist Progress until 1908 ....................................................................... 72 3. 1908 ONWARDS: THE OTTOMAN POLICY TOWARDS ZIONIST MOVEMENT IN THE SECOND CONSTITUTIONAL PERIOD........................... 79 3.1 Zionism and the Ottoman Ruling Elite in the Post-Revolutionary Period ...... 83 3.2 The Contacts between the Zionist Leadership and the Ottoman Jewish Officials .................................................................................................................. 89 3.3 Zionism and the Ottoman Jewry in the Post-Revolutionary Period ................. 94 3.4 Ottoman Attitude towards Settlements: Restrictive Policy .............................. 98 3.5 Arab Opposition to the Jewish settlements and Its Impact on the Ottoman Policy .................................................................................................................... 107 3.6 No Consensus on Zionism among the Ottoman Statesmen ........................... 113 3.7 Ineffectiveness of the Regulations ................................................................. 119 3.8 Balkan Wars and Their Impact on the Ottoman Policy ................................. 123 3.9