Mindful, you connected Ottoman Empire with Jerusalem so I took a look to see what the connection was. In my search I found a reference to Turkey; Egypt; Greece; Bulgaria; Romania; Macedonia; Hungary; Palestine; Jordan; Lebanon; Syria; Parts of Arabia; Much of the coastal strip of North Africa but no “Israel” or Jewish homeland. But I did find this-- Under the millet system the Jews were organized as a community.
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire now included so much of the territory where Islam was practiced, and so many of the Islamic holy places, that Suleiman was widely regarded as the religious leader of Islam, as well as the earthly ruler of most Muslims.
The Ottoman Empire was the one of the largest and longest lasting Empires in history.
It was an empire inspired and sustained by Islam, and Islamic institutions.
At its peak it included:
Turkey; Egypt; Greece; Bulgaria; Romania; Macedonia; Hungary; Palestine; Jordan; Lebanon; Syria; Parts of Arabia; Much of the coastal strip of North Africa
The first Orthodox Christian millet was established in 1454. This brought Orthodox Christians into a single community under the leadership of the Patriarch who had considerable authority given to him by the Sultan. Armenian Christian, Jewish and other millets followed in due course.
Under the millet system the Jews were organized as a community on the basis of religion, alongside the other millets (e.g. Orthodox millet, Armenian millet, etc.).
The Ottoman Jews enjoyed similar privileges to those of the Orthodox. The city of Thessaloniki received a great influx of Jews in the 15th century.
prosperity of medieval Jews was closely tied to that of their Muslim governors. Stillman notes that, during the time between the 9th and 13th centuries when Jewish culture blossomed, many Jews looked favorably upon millet.
In the late 19th century such groups as the Bilu, a group of young Russian Jews who were pioneers of the Zionist resettlement of Palestine,
BBC - Religions - Islam: Ottoman Empire (1301-1922)
“Since it was young Russian Jews who were pioneers of the Zionist resettlement of Palestine”
Many Israeli Jews refuse to even accept the existence of a place called “Palestine”; yet here it is. And the term “Israel” cannot be found but the term Zionist” can.
Based on the above and other records I do not believe the Jews have a “claim” to Jerusalem or the land surrounding it.
The Jews need to accept this, welcome the Palestinians into their homes and become one with the rest
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ME history didn't start or end with the Ottomans. They came along way way late. The Ottomans invited Russian Jews into the region after the end of the civil war with Egypt to resettle the area nd make it profitable; few Arabs lived there and those few that did avoided both taxes and the draft, so don't count as 'citizens' anyway, and later on after the big Brtish and Jewish investments and land purchases migrant labor began coming in; that's the recent history; Mindful is right, arabs didn't want it until the Jews came in big numbers and re-settled it. Arabs wouldn't have been caught dead there if they could help it, the few there were hiding out in the hills from tax collectors and the drafts. After WW II there was no place else to go for the camp survivors, many of whom were still in the camps two years after the war was over.
