World Zionist Organization

|300px|thumb|right| World Zionist Organisation logo 2015, Source: [http://izionist.org/eng/about-wzo/ Izionist.org] 
The World Zionist Organisation is an umbrella organisation for the Zionist movement aimed at the creation and maintenance of a Jewish state in Palestine. It was formed in 1897 by Theodor Herzl as the Zionist Organization (renamed "World Zionist Organization" in 1960) and has held the Zionist congress every two years since. It is one of four intertwined organisations that form the Israeli National Institutions, all of which are based in the same building in Jerusalem.
==History==
The first Zionist congress convened by Herzl in 1897 is often seen as the founding of the Zionist movement. Herzl had articulated his desire for the creation of a Jewish state in his 1896 book Der Judenstaat and the congress, held in Basle, aimed to express this institutionally.
==Presidents of the World Zionist Organisation==
This table lists the presidents of the WZO and their term of office.
Name 	years
Yaakov Hagoel 	2020-present
Avraham Duvdevani 	2005-2020
Zeev Bielski 	2005-2009
Sallai Meridor 	1999-2005
Avraham Burg 	1995-1999
Yehiel Leket 	1994-1995
Simcha Dinitz 	1987-1994
Aryeh Dolchin 	1978–1987
Yosef Almogi 	1976-1978
Aryeh Dolchin 	1975-1976
Pinhas Sapir 	1975-1975
Aryeh Dolchin 	1973-1975
Louis Arie Pincus 	1972-1973
Ehud Avriel 	1968-1972
Nahum Goldmann 	1956-1968
David Ben-Gurion 	1956-1946
Chaim Weizmann 	1935-1946
Nahum Sokolow 	1931-1935
Chaim Weizmann 	1921-1931
Otto Warburg 	1911-1921
David Wolffsohn 	1905–1911
Binyamin Ze'ev Herzl	1897–1904
==Funding settlement construction==
In 2012 the WZO's Settlement Division "financed NIS 400,000 worth of infrastructure work in the West Bank outpost of Negohot, even though the work was carried out without building permits".Chaim Levinson, World Zionist Organization funneled NIS 400,000 into infrastructure work at illegal West Bank outpost, Ha'aretz, 19 August 2013 Whereas all Israeli settlements are illegal under international law, "outposts" are also illegal under Israeli law. As Ha'aretz reports, the Settlement Division has form when it comes to funding their construction:
:"A report on unauthorized West Bank outposts that the state commissioned from attorney Talia Sasson in 2005 found serious flaws in the Settlement Division’s conduct. Inter alia, it found that the division regularly funded illegal construction in many locales.
:In response to Sasson’s report, then-Attorney General Menachem Mazuz issued orders barring the use of public funds for illegal construction. Those orders applied to all public bodies and explicitly defined legal construction as construction carried out in accordance with a valid master plan.
:In addition, the Finance Ministry assigned an accountant to the Settlement Division to monitor its conduct. The accountant is subordinate to the treasury’s accountant general, and his task is to ensure that the division’s financial conduct complies with Israeli law.
:Since then, violations of the rules like what happened at Negohot have become rare."
In response to the Ha'aretz report the Settlement Division acknowledged funding construction in Negohot, but denied that said construction was illegal.
The budget of the WZO's Settlement Division comes from the Israeli state, and has grown every year. In 2012 it was supposed to be NIS 60 million, but rose to NIS 272 million by the year's end.
==Members and affiliates==
===Affiliations===
The World Zionist Organization is allocated 50% of the votes on the governing bodies of the Jewish Agency. The JFNA/UIA has 30% of the votes and Keren Hayesod (which does not operate in the US, but covers the rest of the world) is allocated 20%.
===Members - Zionist Federations===
There are thirty two members from 31 countries (there are two in the UK).
16 in Western Europe, 8 in Latin America, 2 in North America, Australasia, Eastern Europe and one in Africa and in Asia.
====Latin America====
Organización Sionista Argentina | Consejo Sionista De Mexico A.C. | Organizacion Sionista de Panama | Federacion Sionista del Peru | Federacion Sionista de Chile | Asoc. Centro Israelita Sionista de Costa Rica| Organizacion Sionista del Uruguay | | Federacion Sionista de Venezuela
====Australasia====
Zionist Federation of Australia | Zionist Federation of New Zealand (ZFNZ) | 
====Western Europe====
Zionistische Federation in Oesterreich | Zionistische Federation in Bulgaria | | Zionistische Federation in Belgium | Romanian Zionist Association (RZA) | Federación de Comunidades Judías de España | Zionist Federation of Denmark | Zionist Federation of Sweden | Fédération des Organisations Sionistes de France (FOSF) | Swiss Zionist Federation | Zionistische Federation in Deutschland (ZOD) | Zionist Federation of Greece | | Zionist Federation of Holland | Zionist Federation of Great Britain & Ireland | Mizrachi UK | Zionist Federation of Hungary - Magyarországi Cionista Szövetség | Zionist Federation of Italy
====North America====
Canadian Zionist Federation (CZF) | American Zionist Movement (AZM) | 
====Eastern Europe====
Zionist Federation of Russia (MORIA) | Zionist Organization of Ukraine 
====Africa====
South African Zionist Federation (SAZF) | 
====Asia====
Zionist Federation of India WZO Zionist federations. Accessed 12 February 2014.
===World Unions===
====Circa 2014====
Arzenu | World Herut | World Israel Beytenu | World Likud | World Meretz | World Mizrachi | World Avoda | World Kadima | Mercaz OlamiWZO World Unions. Accessed 15 February 2014. | World Confederation of United ZionistsWZO The Zionist World Unions.
====Circa 2024====
World Likud | Shas Olami | Eretz Hakodesh | Mizrachi | World Israel Beytenu | World Herut | Lavi Olami | Arzenu | Mercaz Olami | World Avoda | Kachol Lavan | Yesh Atid | World Union of Meretz | Tnuat Hamerkaz Haliberalit Hanoar Hatzioni | World Confederation of United Zionistshttps://www.wzo.org.il/page/partners/factions/en
===Affiliated organisations===
World Na'amat | World Sephardi Federation | World Masorti | World Emunah | World Maccabi | Hadassah | Women's Interational Zionist Organization | World Union for Progressive Judaism | B'nai B'rith International | World Union of Jewish Students | World Organization of Orthodox Communities and Synagogues in Israel and DiasporaWZO Affiliated Zionist Organizations. Accessed 15 February 2014.
===Youth Movements===
Hashomer Hatzair | Hanoar Hatzioni | Tzameret | Hamahanot Ho'olim | Haihud Hahaklai | Ariel | Betar | National Youth/Noar Leumi | The General Federation Of Working And Studying Youth/HaNoar HaOved VeHaLomed (NOAL) | Tzofim | World Bnei Akiva	| Maccabi Hatzair | Ezra | Habonim Dror | Netzer OamiWZO Youth Movements. \Retrieved from the Internet Archive onf 11 March 2018.
===Young Adult Movements===
PZC | Magshimei Tora VeAvode | Bana | Tagar | Tamar | Maccabi | Atid | Marom | Magshimei Herut | Kidma | Kidma Anilevich WZO Young Adults Movements, retrieved from the Internat Archive of 7 July 2022.
===Partners===
Jewish Agency for Israel | Keren Hayesod | Jewish National Fund WZO Partners. Accessed 15 February 2014.
===See also===
*West European Public Relations Group for Information on Behalf of Israel | Zionist Organization of America | The Duties of the Individual Zionist | World Zionist Congress
==Further reading==
:* Geographic Israel World Zionist Organization and the Jewish Agency Based on the following sources: The Library of Congress Country Studies; CIA World Factbook
:* Jewish Virtual Library
:* Wikipedia World Zionist Organization
==References==
Category:Middle East WatchCategory:Israel Lobby Category:Zionist movement