Student protesters say that their criticisms of Zionism are rooted in the state of Israel’s displacement and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. Pro-Israel activists have responded by defending the term

Defends the term, doesn't deny the ethnic cleansing.

The Viennese journalist Theodor Herzl launched the First Zionist Congress in 1897. His project for a new homeland for Jews with self-rule came in reaction to the rampant, violent antisemitism in Europe and was shaped by political ideas of that time. He became committed to a Jewish state in Palestine, which he called “an outpost of civilization as opposed to barbarism”

uhh... The launcher of the First Zionist Congress just out and out being racist against the Palestinians right there.

Today, a generation of students emphasizes what they see as the settler-colonial nature of Herzl’s vision.

No, no... it literally was Herzl's vision.

The shift in opinions on Zionism has been particularly confusing for many Jewish Americans... a small minority describe it as “privileging Jewish rights over non-Jewish rights in Israel” (10%).

Only 10% actually are correct.

Arguably for the first time, a Palestinian perspective on Zionism is taking center stage

No, its the Israeli AND the Palestinian perspective on Zionism.