The present walls that surround the old city of Jerusalem are built. The first Zionist Congress meets in Basel. Political, not religious, motivation for a Jewish homeland is the theme. The British capture Palestine from the Turks in World War I. Death of the last Czar in Russia and last Kaiser in Germany. The British rule Palestine under a mandate from the League of Nations.
British rule becomes harsh and oppressive.
The United Nations General Assembly adopts partition plan for Palestine, providing for the establishment of a Jewish state. Arabs immediately invade and attempt to drive the Jews into the sea. Israel wins first of a series of wars against the Arab powers. Open immigration now permits vast numbers of Jews to return to the Land. Jerusalem is liberated from Jordanian control and for the first time in nearly two thousand years the Jews are in complete control of Jerusalem.