When people speak of Zionism, it generally is a polarizing conversation between Zionists and anti-Zionists. Today more than ever, the validity of Zionism is a critical subject. I have covered the history of Zionism before (here and here.) The Bible is the best place to start if we care to understand Zionism as defined by God's word in the Torah and the Prophets:
• The land belongs to God first and foremost: Leviticus 25:23 
• God made a covenant with Abraham promising a land, a seed and a blessing: Genesis 12:1-3
• The land has specific boundaries yet to be fulfilled: Genesis 15:18-21
• God's covenant was reconfirmed through Isaac, Jacob and his 12 sons: Genesis 26:2-4, 28:13, 50:24
• God cares about the land and will bless/discipline Israel for obedience/disobedience: Deuteronomy 11:8-17
• The land is promised based on God's character and not Israel's performance: Deuteronomy 7:7-9
• God told Israel to conquer the land: Deuteronomy 9:3
• God controls Israel's exact boundaries: Deuteronomy 2:3-5, 16:19
• The Babylonian captivity didn't annul the oath made by God: Leviticus 26:41
• Israel will never be destroyed because of God's promise of eternal protection: Jeremiah 31:35-37
• God promised Israel a New Covenant when He will remember their sins no more: Jeremiah 31:31-34
• Israel's glorious future includes a final restoration to the land: Ezekiel 39:25-29
• Israel's glorious future is secure because of God's character: Ezekiel 36:22-28

In all fairness, Zionism can be defined beyond the religious and biblical boundaries because it also has political and cultural aspects to it. The terms “Zionism” and “Zionist” were coined in 1890 by Jewish activist Nathan Birnbaum (1864-1937), who also played an essential part in the first Zionist Congress held in 1897. The word Zion comes from the Hebrew tzion, a reference to Jerusalem and often, by extension, to the Land of Israel itself (first mentioned in II Samuel 5:7.)

Anti-Zionists describe Zionism as racism, colonization, and occupation. They demonize Israel in any way they can. They work hard at establishing a historical precedent for the existence of Palestinians before the Jewish people were in Israel. Fortunately for them, the vast majority of their audience is pretty much historically illiterate and unable–and possibly unwilling–to compare the current anti-Zionist narrative to the facts of history.

While not my first choice for academic or bullet-proof accurate data, Wikipedia has been helpful in the past for quick checks of basic information. There must be a valid reason why my seminary professors required ten book quotes for each Wikipedia quote used in a paper. This being said, Wikipedia is used by millions every day.

About twenty years ago, they compiled a definition of Zionism that, while not perfect, was acceptable and as unbiased as could be on that platform. It stated, “Zionism is a political movement among Jews holding that the Jewish people constitute a nation and are entitled to a national homeland....The word ‘Zionist’ derives from the word ‘Zion,’ being one of the names of Jerusalem, as mentioned in the Bible. To diaspora Jews, Zion has been a symbol of the Holy Land and of their return to it, as promised by God in Biblical prophecies.”

It is a simplistic definition, but "a political movement toward a national homeland" is a good start. Israeli Foreign Minister Abba Eban defined Zionism as follows, “Zionism is nothing more — but also nothing less — than the Jewish people's sense of origin and destination in the land linked eternally with its name."

Soon before his assassination in 1967, Martin Luther King was at a dinner party in Cambridge when a young man openly criticized zionists. MLK quickly responded, “Don’t talk like that! When people criticize Zionists, they mean Jews. You’re talking anti-Semitism!”

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We could add a lot more definitions to help refine the understanding of what Zionism is and why it is not racism, even though the UN passed a resolution in 1975 saying that it is racism and racial discrimination. It took them 16 years to have it repealed in 1991.
Coming back to Wikipedia, but now on their 2024 page on Zionism, the definition has changed drastically:
Zionism is an ethno-cultural nationalist movement that emerged in Europe in the late 19th century and aimed for the establishment of a Jewish state through the colonization of a land outside Europe. With the rejection of alternate proposals for a Jewish state, it eventually focused on the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine, a region corresponding to the Land of Israel in Judaism, and of central importance in Jewish history. Zionists wanted to create a Jewish state in Palestine with as much land, as many Jews, and as few Palestinian Arabs as possible. Following the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, Zionism became Israel's national or state ideology.

This adjustment was made quietly. The previous definition is no longer visible, at least, not clearly through Wikipedia, unless one spends hours researching their available edited history. Words such as ethno-cultural nationalist, colonization, as few Palestinian Arabs as possible are very dangerous. Later in the definition, Wikipedia even questions original Jewish ethnicity, when they state, "the application of the Biblical concepts of Jews as the chosen people and the Promise Land"" in Zionism, particularly to secular Jews, requires the belief that modern Jews are the primary descendants of biblical Jews and Israelites."

This gets pretty close to the antisemitic conspiracy theory about Jews being the descendants of Eastern European Khazars.
This is not the first attempt from Wikipedia at altering definitions and statements to twist the truth. Thet recently found the ADL unreliable on the subject of the Middle East. They also decided that the excellent and thoroughly researched site Jewishvirtuallibrary.com was not reliable on the same topics.

This incremental change in redefining pro-Zionist organizations of all sorts is extremely dangerous. The few people who are seeking the truth about Israel and Zionism will no longer find it on Wikipedia, which unfortunately remains a favorite of many for gathering information. This will also encourage antisemites around the world in their quest to eradicate any vestige of Israel's right to the biblical land given to her by God Himself.

In the cult science fiction movie Soylent Green, the people had gathered and protected a library of real printed books telling them about a life most of them had never known and only heard about. Collecting books might not be a bad idea if the online community becomes so one-sided and anti-Zionist. Here are three that should be in your library: The History of Israel by Howard M. Sachar; Myths and Facts: A guide to the Arab-Israeli Conflict; My People: The Story of the Jews by Abba Eban.

Just as a point of comparison, Wikipedia defines Palestine as a country in their introduction as follows: "Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in the southern Levant region of West Asia recognized by 145 out of 193 UN member states." No matter how many member states of the UN call it a country, Palestine is not a country, but Wikipedia thinks otherwise.
In a world where Wikipedia can rewrite history without consequences and possibly become the standard for neo-truth-seekers, no one will be safe!
We are better off defining Zionism from the Bible. It is precise, unbiased, and guaranteed to be true, which makes its main message of redemption through Yeshua the Messiah as life-changing as it is unavoidable (Isaiah 52:13-53-12; John 3:16; Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 2:8-9).

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