They didn't "want a homeland of their own" - they were given an inheritance - the land of Israel - by G-d Almighty. So it is theirs.
Are you sure about that, Jeri?
Israel has been scouring Palestine for decades in pursuit of proof of Jewish mythology, and what have they found?
"Incredible as it sounds, four generations of devoted archeologists, with a burning conviction and huge resources, did produce exactly:
"Nothing.
"From the beginning of the effort to this very day, not a single piece of evidence of the ancient history was found. Not a single indication that the exodus from Egypt, the basis of Jewish history, ever happened. Nor of the 40 years of wandering in the desert.
"No evidence of the conquest of Canaan, as described at length in the Book of Joshua.
"The mighty King David, whose kingdom extended – according to the Bible – from the Sinai peninsula to the north of Syria, did not leave a trace. (Lately an inscription with the name David was discovered, but with no indication that this David was a king.)
"Israel appears for the first time in sound archeological findings in Assyrian inscriptions, which describe a coalition of local kingdoms which tried to stop the Assyrian advance into Syria. Among others, King Ahab of Israel is mentioned as the chief of a considerable military..."
The Connection Between Archaeology and Ideology in the Middle East CounterPunch Tells the Facts Names the Names