At the start of World War I, the Ottoman Empire began a systematic crackdown of the Jewish population in Palestine. Viewing them as potential fifth column, Ottoman military leader Jamal Pasha arranged for mass deportation of Jewish citizens throughout Palestine.
In Tel-Aviv and Jaffa alone over 10,000 Jews were deported, virtually emptying the cities of Jewish populations.
The Turks also arrested many leaders , including future Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion and future President Yitzhak Ben-Zvi.
From 1914-1917, the Jewish population decreased by over a third – from 85,000 to 56,000.
“Jemal Pasha planned from the outset to destroy the entire Hebrew settlement in Eretz Israel, exactly as they did the Armenians in Armenia.”
--David Ben-Gurion
Photo: The Nili organization, which worked to end Ottoman colonial control over the Land of Israel.