The "Jewish state" and us http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/news/middle-east/2260-the-qjewish-stateq-and-us

A study published in "The Jewish state and the Palestinians inside" - the Centre for Contemporary Studies Israel was founded as a political entity on the basis of Zionism; it was not originally predicated upon the principle of a Jewish state according to the religious understanding of the concept. On the contrary, it is a product of colonial forces and Zionist backers with financial muscle.Many of the founders, theorists and supporters of the Zionist project were atheists with a secular outlook; they tended to stress how remote Zionism is from religion in order to manufacture a degree of legitimacy. This was particularly the case in Europe where many priests and rabbis gave the Zionist project their backing in order to attract Jewry in the European Diaspora.