• Sultan Abdul Hamid II was a great bulwark against the Zionist project. The Ottomans had declared bankruptcy in 1875 and a large portion of the budget was allocated to paying interest on the huge foreign debt the empire had accrued during its decline.

• Nevertheless, in one particularly impressive act of Islamic loyalty, Sultan Abdul Hamid II famously turned down Theodor Herzl and the Zionist movement, which offered to buy Palestine in exchange for paying down some of the empire’s looming foreign debts.

• Sultan Abdul Hamid II is reported to have said:

“If Mr. Herzl is as much your friend as you are mine, then advise him not to take another step in this matter. I cannot sell even a foot of land, for it does not belong to me, but to my people. My people have won this empire by fighting for it with their blood and have fertilized it with their blood. We will again cover it with our blood before we allow it to be wrested away from us. The men of two of my regiments from Syria and Palestine let themselves be killed (shahid) one by one at Plevna. Not one of them yielded they all gave their lives on the battlefield. The Ottoman Empire belongs not to me, but to the Ottoman people. I cannot give away any part of it , let the Jews save their billions. When my Empire is partitioned, they may get Palestine for nothing. But only our corpse will be divided. I will not agree to a vivisection.”

• With the help of some Ottoman Christians & influenced by European secular liberalism, the Young Turks eventually successfully terminated Sultan Abdul Hamid’s 30-year reign and its Islamic-oriented administration.

• Although they didn’t immediately abolish the sultanate, in the subsequent thirteen years, two more sultans would rule, albeit as mere puppets without authority. The Young Turks held genuine power for the remaining period of Ottoman history.

• Louis Lipsky (1876 – 1963 ) President of the Zionist Organization of America once said about Sultan Abdul Hamid II:

“With the passing of Abdul Hamid, the greatest stumbling block in our plans has been removed. Zionists may now face the future with a smile, as they have never had a better opportunity for carrying out their wishes. The movement was started, in a political sense, about twelve years ago by Dr. Theodore Herzl, a Viennese Journalist. Dr. Herzl tried to enter
into negotiations, before his death, with Sultan Abdul Hamid to open the doors of Palestine to the Jews, and to grant autonomy to the territory. He was unsuccessful in his efforts.”

• The Zionists eventually realized their desire to establish a national state for Jews. The Rothschild banking family played a crucial role in the formation of Israel.

• The Balfour Declaration, issued by the British government on November 2, 1917, expressed support for a “national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine and was addressed to Baron Lionel Walter Rothschild, a prominent British Jewish leader and member of the Rothschild banking family.

• Lord Arthur Balfour was a Christian. He belonged to the Church of Scotland, and his Christian messianic beliefs influenced his political views, including his support for the Zionist movement and the issuance of the Balfour Declaration.

• Here is a dramatisation of the meeting between Sultan Abdul Hamid II and Theodor Herzl. The clip is taken from “Abdülhamid II” (also known as “Payitaht: Abdülhamid”) a Turkish historical drama series about the reign of Sultan Abdülhamid II, who ruled the Ottoman Empire from 1876 to 1909. The show depicts his efforts to protect the empire amidst political intrigues, foreign threats, and social challenges, while also exploring his personal life and relationships.