Original sentence: Agreements with the Ottoman authorities, or with Arab rulers outside Palestine were their main concern and concerns of the local Arabs were overlooked.Generally though, such statements were propaganda invented by leaders who didn't foresee the subsequent conflict with the Arabs and thought of them as allies against the big empires whom they viewed as the main obstacle.The early Zionists were well aware that parts of Palestine was already occupied by Arabs and other Muslims, who (outside of Jerusalem, Safed, and Tiberius) constituted the overwhelming majority of the population, but thought that they could only benefit from Jewish immigration.This attitude resulted in the Arab presence being ignored, as in Israel Zangwill's famous slogan "A land without a people, for a people without a land"
Edited sentence: Generally though, such myths were propaganda invented by leaders who didn't think of the Arabs as an obstacle as serious as the big empires.It was hoped that the wishes of the local Arabs could be simply bypassed by forging agreements with the Ottoman authorities, or with Arab rulers outside Palestine.The early Zionists were well aware that Palestine was already occupied by Muslims, who (outside of Jerusalem, Safed, and Tiberius) constituted the overwhelming majority of the population there, but thought that they could only benefit from Jewish immigration.This attitude led to the opposition of the Arabs being ignored, or even to their presence being denied, as in Israel Zangwill's famous slogan "A land without a people, for a people without a land"