Journey to New Palestine: The Zionist Expedition to East Africa and the Aftermath of the Uganda Debate

Abstract

The Uganda Scheme was the subject of a bitter debate that split the Zionist movement. The expedition that set out on behalf of the Zionist Organization in December 1904 to explore the designated region in East Africa and submit its conclusions was supposed to lead to a final decision as to whether to accept or reject the British offer. This paper aims firstly to trace the history of the Zionist expedition to East Africa from the moment it set out until the publication of the report and to explore the reactions of the supporters and opponents of the Uganda Scheme to the conclusions of the delegation. Second, by studying the debate over the expedition and the Uganda question at the Seventh Zionist Congress, it examines the factors that led to the formation of the Jewish Territorial Organization, headed by Israel Zangwill, in August 1905.