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{{Israelis}}
Proceeding from the information provided above in Parts I and II, we hereby request the Attorney General to engage in the following activities on behalf of the people of New York:
The '''World Zionist Organization''' ({{lang-he|ההסתדרות הציונית העולמית}}), or '''WZO''', was founded as the '''Zionist Organization''' ({{lang-he|ההסתדרות הציונית}}), or '''ZO''', in 1897 at the [[First Zionist Congress]], held from August 29 to August 31 in [[Basel]], [[Switzerland]].<ref>See [http://www.jewishagency.org/JewishAgency/English/Jewish+Education/Compelling+Content/Eye+on+Israel/120/Chapter+Two+The+Seven+Years+of+Herzl.htm Chapter 2: ''The Seven Years of Herzl''] of ''[http://www.jewishagency.org/JewishAgency/English/Jewish+Education/Compelling+Content/Eye+on+Israel/120/ Zionism – The First 120 Years]'' by the [[Jewish Agency]].</ref> It changed its name to ''World Zionist Organization'' in January 1960.


The ZO served as an umbrella organization for the [[Zionism|Zionist]] movement, whose objective was the creation of a Jewish homeland in [[The British Mandate of Palestine]]. [[Theodor Herzl]], who with [[Max Nordau]] and Zvi Shimshi, organized the first Congress, later wrote in his diary: ''"If I were to sum up the Congress in a word – which I shall take care not to publish – it would be this: At Basle I founded the Jewish State. If I said this out loud today I would be greeted by universal laughter. In five years perhaps, and certainly in fifty years, everyone will perceive it.''"<ref>''The Diaries of Theodor Herzl'', ed. and trsl. Marvin Lowenthal, London, 1958, p. 220 as quoted in [http://www.wzo.org.il/en/resources/print.asp?id=2119 Gideon Shimoni: ''Historiographical Issues in Conveying Herzl’s Legacy''].</ref>
A. Conduct an impartial investigation or appoint an independent, impartial, randomly selected grand jury to:


When the [[State of Israel]] was [[Declaration of Independence (Israel)|declared]] 51 years later on May 14, 1948, many of its new administrative institutions were already in place, having evolved during the regular Zionist Congresses of the previous decades. Some of these institutions remain to this day. The WZO's headquarters was permanently moved to [[Jerusalem]],<!-- when? --> after being located over the years in capitals of Europe, including [[Berlin]] and [[London]], and most recently in [[New York City]], in the United States.
1. Generally, answer the unanswered questions, those posed to the Kean Commission by the relatives of September 11 victims and those posed in this Complaint and Petition and in the materials provided with it.


==Membership and delegations==
2. Obtain any as-yet unpublished or classified investigatory analyses, reports, or physical or other evidence from law enforcement authorities, government agencies and courts of New York City, New York State and other localities and states, US federal and foreign agencies, Congressional offices, Pentagon, White House, Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, the Mission to the United Nations, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, CIA, FAA, FBI, FEMA, NIST, NTSB, SEC, Underwriters Laboratories, former members of the Kean Commission and its staff, and others, and identify any anomalies from the official assumptions, declarations, media reports, and other accounts put forward to the people of New York as explanations for the absence of official culpability for the crime and damages arising from it.
Membership in the ZO was open to all [[Jew]]s, and the right to vote for delegates to the Congresses was secured by the purchase of the [[Shekel|Zionist Shekel]]. Delegations from all around the world, and from many different political backgrounds and religious traditions, took part in each Congress; delegations/parties were mainly grouped by ideology, rather than by geography.{{Citation needed|date=June 2007}}


In 1960 the ZO changed its name to the World Zionist Organization and adopted a new constitution under which individuals are ineligible for membership, which is reserved for organizations.
3. Interview witnesses, alleged perpetrators, whistleblowers, and other sources whose accounts of the events of 9/11 have been suppressed, classified, or otherwise withheld from public scrutiny.


==Presidents of World Zionist Organization==
4. Determine to what extent insider trading in the form of "put" or "short" positions—and any other suspicious securities trading activity—took place with respect to stocks in companies adversely affected by the 9/11 tragedy (including, but not limited to, United Airlines, American Air Lines, Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley). In addition, identify the holders of any suspicious positions or principals of trades and any individuals or firms in the securities business who may have furthered any such insider trading or had knowledge thereof.
:* [[Theodor Herzl]] : (1897–1904)
:* [[David Wolffsohn]] : (1905–1911)
:* [[Otto Warburg (botanist)|Otto Warburg]] : (1911–1921)
:* [[Chaim Weizmann]] (1st time) : (1921–1931)
:* [[Nahum Sokolow]] : (1931–1935)
:* [[Chaim Weizmann]] (2nd time) : (1935–1946)
:* [[David Ben-Gurion]] (acting) : (1946–1956)
:* [[Nahum Goldmann]] : (1956–1968) <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/History/Modern+History/Centenary+of+Zionism/ZIONISM-+Timeline+of+Events.htm |title=ZIONISM- Timeline of Events |publisher=Mfa.gov.il |date= |accessdate=2008-11-29}}</ref>
:* [[Ehud Avriel]] : (1968–1972)


==Chairs of the Executive of World Zionist Organization (and the Jewish Agency for Israel)==
5. Determine the validity of those assumptions (as described in Part I, Section 5 of this Complaint and Petition) upon which the findings of the Kean Commission are based, and if not valid, determine what effect any so-identified discrepancies (between the official assumptions and the actual events) would have upon the conclusions as to (a) the cause of the 9/11 crimes and (b) the identity of the perpetrators and conspirators who carried out the 9/11 crimes.


:*[[Louis Arie Pincus]] (1968 - Oct 1973), head of the executive of WZO until 1972
6. Determine, based upon the work of independent scientists, engineers, and other experts, whether the collapse of each World Trade Center building was:
:*[[Yitzhak Navon]] (1972 - 1978), only head of the Executive of WZO
:*[[Aryeh Dolchin]] (Oct 1973 - 1975), only chairman of the Jewish Agency
:*[[Pinhas Sapir]] (1975 - 12 Aug 1975), only head of the Jewish Agency
:*[[Aryeh Dolchin]] (12 Aug 1975 - 6 Jan 1976), only chairman of the Jewish Agency
:*[[Yosef Almogi]] (6 Jan 1976 - 1978), only chairman of the Jewish Agency
:*[[Aryeh Dolchin]] (1978 - Dec 1987)
:*[[Simcha Dinitz]] (Dec 1987 - 14 Feb 1994)
:*[[Yehiel Leket]] (Feb 1994 - Feb 1995)
:*[[Avraham Burg]] (Feb 1995 - Feb 1999)
:*[[Sallai Meridor]] (25 Feb 1999 - 2005), "acting" until May 1999, then elected
:*[[Zeev Bielski]] (2005 - 2009)
:*[[Avraham Duvdevani]] (2010 – present)<ref>[http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=178563 Jerusalem Post: WZO gets 1st religious-Zionist chairman]</ref>


In 2009, the positions were separated again. [[Natan Sharansky]] was elected as the head of the Jewish Agency and a new Chairman of the WZO was elected at the 36th Zionist Congress, on 15 June, 2010.
a. Solely due to the crash of two airliners and resulting fires (or, in the case of Building 7, fire alone);


==Sister organizations==
b. Due in part to the storage of flammable chemicals or other combustibles within the buildings;
The finances of the WZO were conducted by the [[Jewish Colonial Trust]] (founded in 1899), and acquisition of land was conducted by the [[Jewish National Fund]] (founded in 1901).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jewishagency.org/JewishAgency/English/Jewish+Education/Compelling+Content/Eye+on+Israel/120/Chapter+Two+The+Seven+Years+of+Herzl.htm |title=Chapter Two The Seven Years of Herzl |publisher=Jewishagency.org |date= |accessdate=2008-11-29}}</ref> [[Keren Hayesod]] (founded 1920) funded Zionist and [[Yishuv]] activities prior to the creation of the state of [[Israel]] through enterprises such as the ''Palestine Electric Company'', the ''Palestine Potash Company'' and the ''Anglo-Palestine Bank''.<ref>[http://www.kh-uia.org.il/us/history.html Keren Hayesod - United Israel Appeal<!-- Bot generated title -->]{{Dead link|date=November 2008}}</ref>


==World Zionist Congress==
c. Due in part to fraud or criminal negligence or recklessness in the building materials, construction techniques, or maintenance of the buildings;
[[Image:Second Zionist Congress.jpg|200px|right|thumb|The [[Second Zionist Congress]], held in [[Basel]], [[Switzerland]] (1898).]]
The World Zionist Congress ({{lang-he|הקונגרס הציוני העולמי}}) elects the officers and decides on the policies of the World Zionist Organization and the [[Jewish Agency]]. Any Jew over age 18 who belongs to a zionist association is eligible to vote, and the number of delegates to the Congress is capped at 500.<ref>http://www.jewishagency.org/NR/rdonlyres/056BA126-0B81-48C2-8994-93D1021ECED3/15904/rules.doc</ref>


From 1897-1901, the Zionist Congress met every year, then every second year from 1903–1913 and 1921-1939. Until 1946 the Congress was held every two years in various European cities, save for interruptions during the two World Wars. Their goal was to build an infrastructure to further the cause of Jewish settlement in Palestine. Since the Second World War, meetings have been held approximately every four years. Also, since the creation of the State of [[Israel]], the congress has met every four or five years in Jerusalem.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jafi.org.il/education/100/concepts/cong00.html |title=The Zionist Century &#124; Concepts &#124; Zionist Congresses |publisher=Jafi.org.il |date= |accessdate=2008-11-29}}</ref>
d. Due in part to detonation of explosive materials;
At the 34th World Zionist Congress in 2002, the [[Green Zionist Alliance]] became the first environmental organization to ever hold a seat at the World Zionist Congress. The 35th World Zionist Congress was held in June 2006<ref>http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArtVty.jhtml?sw=world+zionist+congress&itemNo=728815</ref>, where [[Zeev Bielski]] of Kadima was re-elected WZO Chairman. The next Congress is scheduled for June 2010 in Jerusalem.


===Political parties===
7. Identify those responsible for the destruction of evidence of the crimes committed in connection with the events of 9/11 and for the suppression of witness accounts through threats of reprisal, intimidation, harassment, or otherwise.
Participants in the World Zionist Congress are free to form ''Brit Olamit'' (ideological groupings), which are somewhat like [[political party|political parties]]. While Israeli political parties can participate in the Congress, ''brits'' are also organized and voted into the Congress by non-Israelis, making the Congress a multinational deliberative body for the Jewish diaspora. However, as ''[[aliyah]]'' has brought Jews to Israel from other countries, Israeli representation in the legislature has increased at the expense of non-Israeli Jewish diaspora representation. A Brit Olamit must have representation in at least five countries to send a delegation to the Congress.


The largest faction in the World Zionist Congress as of 2008 was a coalition of [[MERCAZ]] (representing [[Conservative Judaism]]), [[Kadima]], the [[Green Zionist Alliance]], [[Israeli Labor Party|Labor]]-[[Meretz]], and [[ARZA]] (representing [[Reform Judaism]]).{{Citation needed|date=March 2008}}
8. Determine from medical or other experts the cause of the many physical maladies suffered by the residents of, workers in, and visitors to New York City during and following the 9/11 tragedy from exposure to toxic substances and related causes and:


Other parties include:
a. Identify individuals in key decision-making positions with respect to the official response to the ongoing health dangers posed by the 9/11 tragedy to New York City residents, workers, and visitors.


* Tnuat Hamercaz Haliberalit - [[HaNoar HaTzioni]]
b. Determine what decisions were made and what actions were taken by the responsible individuals to safeguard or not safeguard the health and well-being of victims of toxic substance exposure in New York City and its surroundings.
* The World Confederation of United Zionists, which in the USA is a federation of "Hadassah", the American Jewish League and Bnei Zion
* [[Herut]]Party
* [[Mizrachi (religious Zionism)|Mizrachi]]
* World [[Likud]] - [[Shas]]
* World Union [[Yisrael Beytenu]]-[[Moledet]]-[[Tkuma (political party)|Tkuma]]


==Jerusalem Program==
c. Determine whether the actions taken by those in authority or in key advisory positions within and outside federal, state, and local government contributed to such physical maladies.
The platform of the WZO is the Jerusalem Program. The Zionist Council, meeting in Jerusalem in June 2004, adopted this text as the latest version.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wzo.org.il/en/resources/view.asp?id=1707 |title=Jerusalem Program 2004 |publisher=Wzo.org.il |date= |accessdate=2008-11-29 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070707033356/http://wzo.org.il/en/resources/view.asp?id=1707 |archivedate = July 7, 2007}}</ref>


<blockquote>
d. Identify any conflicts of interest by decision-making officials and determine whether such conflicts of interest contributed to or aggravated such physical maladies.
Zionism, the national liberation movement of the Jewish people, brought about the establishment of the State of Israel, and views a Jewish, Zionist, democratic and secure State of Israel to be the expression of the common responsibility of the Jewish people for its continuity and future.


The foundations of Zionism are:
9. Identify those who authorized departure from US jurisdiction of potential individual co-conspirators, facilitators, or aiders and abettors. Specifically, identify the actions taken by those in authority and their superiors or principals to effectuate the premature departure of members of the bin Ladin family and other Saudis from US jurisdiction and what effect such departure had upon the investigation of crimes related to the 9/11 tragedy.


* The unity of the Jewish people, its bond to its historic homeland Eretz Yisrael, and the centrality of the State of Israel and Jerusalem, its capital, in the life of the nation;
10. Generally, identify those responsible (including, if appropriate, those in government and government contractors) for murder, monetary damages to public authorities, property damage, and damage to the health and general welfare of New York residents and owners and employees of New York businesses.
* Aliyah to Israel from all countries and the effective integration of all immigrants into Israeli Society.
* Strengthening Israel as a Jewish, Zionist and democratic state and shaping it as an exemplary society with a unique moral and spiritual character, marked by mutual respect for the multi-faceted Jewish people, rooted in the vision of the prophets, striving for peace and contributing to the betterment of the world.
* Ensuring the future and the distinctiveness of the Jewish people by furthering Jewish, Hebrew and Zionist education, fostering spiritual and cultural values and teaching Hebrew as the national language;
* Nurturing mutual Jewish responsibility, defending the rights of Jews as individuals and as a nation, representing the national Zionist interests of the Jewish people, and struggling against all manifestations of anti-Semitism;
* Settling the country as an expression of [[practical Zionism]].
</blockquote>


==Herzl Award==
11. Identify government officials and contractors, if any, responsible for failure of the nation's air defenses, including those involved in any capacity in the war games that coincided with the attacks.
Since 2004, Department for Zionist Activities of the World Zionist Organization bestows the [[Herzl Award]] annually upon outstanding young men and women in recognition of their exceptional volunteer efforts on behalf of Israel and the Zionist cause.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wzo.org.il/doingzionism/about_us/activity.asp?id=207 |title=The Herzl Award 2004-2005 |publisher=Wzo.org.il |date= |accessdate=2008-11-29 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070927002112/http://www.wzo.org.il/doingzionism/about_us/activity.asp?id=207 |archivedate = September 27, 2007}}</ref>


==Settlement controversy==
12. Identify conflicts of interest among key public and private sector players involved in the events of 9/11 or their aftermath and identify any related patterns of profiteering, including stock market profits, with respect to, for example, the award of government contracts and the lobbying for and passage of legislation.
A document which was brought before [[Israel's Supreme Court]], showed that private Palestinian land was taken and given to Israeli settlers by the World Zionist Organization. The land in question had been ruled off-limits by Israel. The World Zionist Organization had been acting as an agent of the government in assigning land to Jewish settlers in the [[Israeli-occupied territories]]. The Israeli government, to avoid responsibilities under international law, used the World Zionist Organization to settle its citizens in the territory occupied in 1967. The document concerns several homes in the Israeli settlement of [[Ofra]], approximately 15 miles north of Jerusalem in the [[West Bank]]. The Israeli Justice Ministry confirmed that the land in question was owned by Palestinians and that the nine houses in question had been ordered demolished. Dror Etkes of [[Yesh Din]] said "It's an international organization that is, simply put, stealing land."<ref>{{cite news|last=Teibel|first=Amy|title=
Lawsuit brings murky West Bank land deals to light|work=Associated Press|date=21 June 2009|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2009363393_apmlisraeldisputeddeal.html}}</ref>


==External links==
13. Identify bank accounts and other sources of funding for crimes related to 9/11 and "follow the money" from its ultimate sources through its use for purposes furthering the conspiracy of 9/11, in the process identifying and interviewing individuals whose actions furthered the criminal enterprise.
{{Commons cat}}
*The [[Central Zionist Archives]] in Jerusalem [http://www.zionistarchives.org.il site]. Collections of the World Zionist Organization.
*[http://www.naamz.org National Association for the Advocacy of Modern Zionism]
*[http://www.jewishagency.org/JewishAgency/English/Home/Jewish+Agency+Resources/JAFI+WZO+Related+Sites/WZO/ WZO &ndash; Doing Zionism]
*[http://www.wzo.org.il/ The WZO Hagshama Department] (formerly the Student Department)
*[http://www.jafi.org.il/education/congress/gallerycon.html World Zionist Congress Gallery]
*[http://www.jtsa.edu/library/exhib/zion/1.html Exhibit of election posters] for WZC elections across the decades.


== References ==
14. Identify law firms, accounting firms and banks, if any, that aided and abetted the 9/11 crimes, their financing and other activities in furtherance of crimes related to the tragedy.
<references/>
{{Zionism}}


[[Category:Zionism]]
15. Calculate the damages to the State of New York, the City of New York and their authorities, funds, and other instrumentalities, including both past costs and damages and the increase in the costs of future legal, contractual, or moral imperatives of such governmental entities, funds, or functions.
[[Category:Zionist organizations]]


[[ar:المنظمة الصهيونية العالمية]]
16. Identify sources of financial redress from:
[[cs:Světová sionistická organizace]]

[[da:World Zionist Organization]]
a. Responsible federal government officials;
[[de:Zionistische Weltorganisation]]

[[es:Organización Sionista Mundial]]
b. Complicit local officials;
[[eo:Monda Cionisma Organizaĵo]]

[[fr:Organisation sioniste mondiale]]
c. Government contractors and private corporations (and their control persons), banks, and individuals who aided and abetted, criminally facilitated, conspired or breached contracts or duties arising under contract or otherwise—or engaged in illegal or immoral profiteering while in a position of public trust or fiduciary obligation.
[[id:Organisasi Zionis Sedunia]]

[[he:ההסתדרות הציונית העולמית]]
B. Generally, hold responsible persons accountable under state law, both personally and through their employers or principals, and in so doing seek the following sanctions and remedies, and such other sanctions and remedies as may be available under New York law, or charge the federal government with pursuing federal remedies:
[[ka:მსოფლიო სიონისტთა ორგანიზაცია]]

[[no:World Zionist Organization]]
1. Indictments of responsible individuals, corporations or groups you believe are guilty of crimes under New York law, including crimes— such as criminal conspiracy, official misconduct, accessorial conduct, illegal profiteering, obstruction of justice, intimidation of potential witnesses, and destruction of evidence—that support or arise out of the underlying crimes.
[[pl:Światowa Organizacja Syjonistyczna]]

[[pt:Organização Sionista Mundial]]
2. Disgorgement of profits obtained by illegal or immoral means and contractual payments for incomplete, incompetent, faulty, or otherwise wrongfully compensated work under breached contracts and illegal activities contributing to, exacerbating, or covering up the crimes committed on or in connection with 9/11 and related activities thereafter in connection with the 9/11 tragedy and its aftermath.
[[ru:Всемирная сионистская организация]]

[[fi:Maailman Sionistijärjestö]]
3. Resignation or demotion of culpable individuals.
[[sv:World Zionist Organization]]

[[uk:Всесвітня Сіоністська Організація]]
4. Consent decrees or other legally enforceable agreements or assurances to prevent the repetition of culpable behavior, negligence, recklessness, or other causes of harm to New Yorkers.
[[yi:דער ציוניסטישער קאנגרעס]]

5. Debarment of culpable individuals, corporations, and organizations or groups from future business with the State of New York.

6. Recovery of damages and the levy of the maximum penalties available at law.

7. Prohibition of culpable businesses from continuing to transact business in the State of New York, where they:

a. Have stock traded on New York-based exchanges.

b. Have headquarters and US offices of foreign corporations (especially money center banks).

c. Qualify to do business in the state only through state grant, which can be withdrawn for illegal conduct.

d. Have submitted to jurisdiction of the State of New York by reason of admission to transact business in New York.

e. Have New York bank accounts that can be attached.

8. To the extent possible, address military failures and/or crimes, including actions of or effects on civilian military employees, turning over evidence to military tribunals, if appropriate.

C. If the federal government refuses to enforce federal laws: use state power to enforce state laws; challenge federal authority to supersede state and local authorities; challenge federally invoked state secrets privilege to examine whether it was genuinely invoked for security or abused to cover up wrongdoing; and work with international banking and other authorities to investigate and follow money trails.

D. Coordinate with the attorneys general of other states with interests in 9/11, as occurred in the "tobacco settlements" and other cases where multiple states had jurisdiction and sustained damages. (Appendix 8)

E. Take action to protect whistleblowers within and outside government from retaliatory actions.

F. Disclose your findings to the people of New York and the nation as a means of upholding truth and justice as the standards of the public realm, restoring the "shattered trust" of the people in their democratic institutions and honoring the memories of those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001

Revision as of 20:06, 2 October 2010

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The World Zionist Organization (Hebrew: ההסתדרות הציונית העולמית), or WZO, was founded as the Zionist Organization (Hebrew: ההסתדרות הציונית), or ZO, in 1897 at the First Zionist Congress, held from August 29 to August 31 in Basel, Switzerland.[1] It changed its name to World Zionist Organization in January 1960.

The ZO served as an umbrella organization for the Zionist movement, whose objective was the creation of a Jewish homeland in The British Mandate of Palestine. Theodor Herzl, who with Max Nordau and Zvi Shimshi, organized the first Congress, later wrote in his diary: "If I were to sum up the Congress in a word – which I shall take care not to publish – it would be this: At Basle I founded the Jewish State. If I said this out loud today I would be greeted by universal laughter. In five years perhaps, and certainly in fifty years, everyone will perceive it."[2]

When the State of Israel was declared 51 years later on May 14, 1948, many of its new administrative institutions were already in place, having evolved during the regular Zionist Congresses of the previous decades. Some of these institutions remain to this day. The WZO's headquarters was permanently moved to Jerusalem, after being located over the years in capitals of Europe, including Berlin and London, and most recently in New York City, in the United States.

Membership and delegations

Membership in the ZO was open to all Jews, and the right to vote for delegates to the Congresses was secured by the purchase of the Zionist Shekel. Delegations from all around the world, and from many different political backgrounds and religious traditions, took part in each Congress; delegations/parties were mainly grouped by ideology, rather than by geography.[citation needed]

In 1960 the ZO changed its name to the World Zionist Organization and adopted a new constitution under which individuals are ineligible for membership, which is reserved for organizations.

Presidents of World Zionist Organization

Chairs of the Executive of World Zionist Organization (and the Jewish Agency for Israel)

In 2009, the positions were separated again. Natan Sharansky was elected as the head of the Jewish Agency and a new Chairman of the WZO was elected at the 36th Zionist Congress, on 15 June, 2010.

Sister organizations

The finances of the WZO were conducted by the Jewish Colonial Trust (founded in 1899), and acquisition of land was conducted by the Jewish National Fund (founded in 1901).[5] Keren Hayesod (founded 1920) funded Zionist and Yishuv activities prior to the creation of the state of Israel through enterprises such as the Palestine Electric Company, the Palestine Potash Company and the Anglo-Palestine Bank.[6]

World Zionist Congress

The Second Zionist Congress, held in Basel, Switzerland (1898).

The World Zionist Congress (Hebrew: הקונגרס הציוני העולמי) elects the officers and decides on the policies of the World Zionist Organization and the Jewish Agency. Any Jew over age 18 who belongs to a zionist association is eligible to vote, and the number of delegates to the Congress is capped at 500.[7]

From 1897-1901, the Zionist Congress met every year, then every second year from 1903–1913 and 1921-1939. Until 1946 the Congress was held every two years in various European cities, save for interruptions during the two World Wars. Their goal was to build an infrastructure to further the cause of Jewish settlement in Palestine. Since the Second World War, meetings have been held approximately every four years. Also, since the creation of the State of Israel, the congress has met every four or five years in Jerusalem.[8] At the 34th World Zionist Congress in 2002, the Green Zionist Alliance became the first environmental organization to ever hold a seat at the World Zionist Congress. The 35th World Zionist Congress was held in June 2006[9], where Zeev Bielski of Kadima was re-elected WZO Chairman. The next Congress is scheduled for June 2010 in Jerusalem.

Political parties

Participants in the World Zionist Congress are free to form Brit Olamit (ideological groupings), which are somewhat like political parties. While Israeli political parties can participate in the Congress, brits are also organized and voted into the Congress by non-Israelis, making the Congress a multinational deliberative body for the Jewish diaspora. However, as aliyah has brought Jews to Israel from other countries, Israeli representation in the legislature has increased at the expense of non-Israeli Jewish diaspora representation. A Brit Olamit must have representation in at least five countries to send a delegation to the Congress.

The largest faction in the World Zionist Congress as of 2008 was a coalition of MERCAZ (representing Conservative Judaism), Kadima, the Green Zionist Alliance, Labor-Meretz, and ARZA (representing Reform Judaism).[citation needed]

Other parties include:

Jerusalem Program

The platform of the WZO is the Jerusalem Program. The Zionist Council, meeting in Jerusalem in June 2004, adopted this text as the latest version.[10]

Zionism, the national liberation movement of the Jewish people, brought about the establishment of the State of Israel, and views a Jewish, Zionist, democratic and secure State of Israel to be the expression of the common responsibility of the Jewish people for its continuity and future.

The foundations of Zionism are:

  • The unity of the Jewish people, its bond to its historic homeland Eretz Yisrael, and the centrality of the State of Israel and Jerusalem, its capital, in the life of the nation;
  • Aliyah to Israel from all countries and the effective integration of all immigrants into Israeli Society.
  • Strengthening Israel as a Jewish, Zionist and democratic state and shaping it as an exemplary society with a unique moral and spiritual character, marked by mutual respect for the multi-faceted Jewish people, rooted in the vision of the prophets, striving for peace and contributing to the betterment of the world.
  • Ensuring the future and the distinctiveness of the Jewish people by furthering Jewish, Hebrew and Zionist education, fostering spiritual and cultural values and teaching Hebrew as the national language;
  • Nurturing mutual Jewish responsibility, defending the rights of Jews as individuals and as a nation, representing the national Zionist interests of the Jewish people, and struggling against all manifestations of anti-Semitism;
  • Settling the country as an expression of practical Zionism.

Herzl Award

Since 2004, Department for Zionist Activities of the World Zionist Organization bestows the Herzl Award annually upon outstanding young men and women in recognition of their exceptional volunteer efforts on behalf of Israel and the Zionist cause.[11]

Settlement controversy

A document which was brought before Israel's Supreme Court, showed that private Palestinian land was taken and given to Israeli settlers by the World Zionist Organization. The land in question had been ruled off-limits by Israel. The World Zionist Organization had been acting as an agent of the government in assigning land to Jewish settlers in the Israeli-occupied territories. The Israeli government, to avoid responsibilities under international law, used the World Zionist Organization to settle its citizens in the territory occupied in 1967. The document concerns several homes in the Israeli settlement of Ofra, approximately 15 miles north of Jerusalem in the West Bank. The Israeli Justice Ministry confirmed that the land in question was owned by Palestinians and that the nine houses in question had been ordered demolished. Dror Etkes of Yesh Din said "It's an international organization that is, simply put, stealing land."[12]

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to World Zionist Organization.

References

  1. ^ See Chapter 2: The Seven Years of Herzl of Zionism – The First 120 Years by the Jewish Agency.
  2. ^ The Diaries of Theodor Herzl, ed. and trsl. Marvin Lowenthal, London, 1958, p. 220 as quoted in Gideon Shimoni: Historiographical Issues in Conveying Herzl’s Legacy.
  3. ^ "ZIONISM- Timeline of Events". Mfa.gov.il. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
  4. ^ Jerusalem Post: WZO gets 1st religious-Zionist chairman
  5. ^ "Chapter Two The Seven Years of Herzl". Jewishagency.org. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
  6. ^ Keren Hayesod - United Israel Appeal[dead link]
  7. ^ http://www.jewishagency.org/NR/rdonlyres/056BA126-0B81-48C2-8994-93D1021ECED3/15904/rules.doc
  8. ^ "The Zionist Century | Concepts | Zionist Congresses". Jafi.org.il. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
  9. ^ http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArtVty.jhtml?sw=world+zionist+congress&itemNo=728815
  10. ^ "Jerusalem Program 2004". Wzo.org.il. Archived from the original on July 7, 2007. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
  11. ^ "The Herzl Award 2004-2005". Wzo.org.il. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
  12. ^ Teibel, Amy (21 June 2009). "Lawsuit brings murky West Bank land deals to light". Associated Press.
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