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My meaning here is in no way to speak negatively of immigration (I am a fierce advocate for the rights of migrants and asylum seekers); and of course Jews fleeing Russian pogroms or immigrating due to the horrors of the holocaust is infinitely understandable.

But when Herzl speaks of "immigration" in this 1899 letter, he of course means the deliberate project of displacing Palestinians to establish a Jewish state.

I assume this distinction is obvious but it is well worth stating directly. It is precisely this distinction that renders a two-state "solution" untenable according to Khalidi. The ethnic cleansing and domination cannot be undone. Israel is not a neighbor; it is an oppressor.

Migration: moving to a new place and establishing a home

Settler colonialism: moving to a new place and taking someone else's home