At the center of the debate are key changes in the language used to describe Zionism, the movement that called for the establishment of a Jewish homeland in what is now Israel.
The 2023 version of the page framed Zionism as a nationalist movement born in the 19th century that sought to secure Jewish self-determination.
In contrast, the 2024 version of the entry introduces more charged terminology, describing Zionism as an “ethno-cultural nationalist” movement that engaged in “colonization of a land outside of Europe,” with a heightened focus on the resulting conflicts with Palestinian Arabs.
“Zionists wanted to create a Jewish state in Palestine with as much land, as many Jews, and as few Palestinian Arabs as possible,” it reads.
Did this happen in an official capacity/appears in writing? Or is this just the common understanding?
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Yes, Herzl himself referred to Zionism as a colonial movement. In a 1902 letter to Cecil Rhodes:
The first Zionist banks were called “Jewish Colonial Trust” too. The nascent Zionist movement was always an openly colonial project. I suppose now that colonialism is not the cool thing to do anymore some Zionists are shying away from the term, but some still do identify their politics that way.