Francis A. Miniter wrote:
> Last evening, while boxing some books I am not interested in, I came
> across *The Romance of Palestine:  A History for Young People* by Rev.
> James W. Lee (1897), and I was reminded of our earlier discussions in
> this newsgroup about claims of the Jews and Palestinians to what is
> variantly known as Israel and Palestine.  I had remarked at one time
> that I had come across British maps of the 1890s naming the region
> "Palestine".  So I browsed through this book, which combines a tour
> guide (with photographs!!) with religion lessons and some history.  What
> surprised me was a short section about Napoleon in Palestine.

> That caused me to do an internet search and I came up with some
> interesting information.  It should be remembered that on September 27,
> 1791, the Convention granted Jews full citizenship in France.  Napoleon
> apparently was shocked when on coming into Italy in 1797, he discovered
> that Jews were forced to live in Ghettos in the big cities.  He
> abolished the ghettos - there and elsewhere.  And he abolished the laws
> of the Inquisition which were constant threats to "new Christians".  On
> Malta, he allowed the building of a Synagogue.  And so, when he reached
> Palestine, he prepared a proclamation dated April 20, 1797,

> that would
> establish an independent Jewish state in Palestine.  Only his defeat at
> Acre prevented it from being issued.

> But that was not the end of it.  On May 22, 1799, he announced a
> proclamation asking Jews to join with him to re-establish the ancient
> Jerusalem.  He followed this up on August 16, 1800, with the statement
> that if should govern a nations of Jews, he would rebuild the Temple of
> Solomon.

>  From all this a few things are clear.  First, the name Palestine for
> the region was well established (Napoleon also uses it in writing his
> own account of the Egyptian Campaign).  Second, the idea of
> establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine precedes even the formation
> of a Zionist movement later in the 19th century.   Third, perhaps
> Napoleon was the first Zionist.