European Jews In Palestine

Since the 1890's European Jews had been immigrating to Palestine, fired by Zionist dreams and fleeing pogroms and discrimination. The emigrations or aliyahs, took place in a series of waves; by 1925 there were 160,000 Jews in Palestine. As Arabs claimed their lands were being overrun by foreigners, Britain clamped down on Jewish immigration. As tensions rose, Arabs rioted in Jerusalem and elsewhere.In response, the Jews created an underground military organization, the Haganah, to protect themselves. - The Middle East by Time Inc.