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Declaration of Independence of the State of Israel
The Declaration of Independence of the State of Israel represented for many Jews the culmination of 2000 years of hope that the Jewish people would establish a homeland in the ancient Land of Israel. The Declaration came at the end of the 30 year British Mandate in Palestine, and signaled a new beginning for the Jewish people. An Israel tour offers many opportunities to visit historic sites that, following independence, have become part of Israel’s national heritage.
Background to the Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence came as a result of the efforts of the Zionist movement that developed in Europe in the eighteenth and nineteenth century. It was largely a secular movement, strongly influenced by Nationalism. Zionism in its modern form was founded by Theodre Herzl, a Jewish Hungarian journalist, who envisioned the establishment of a Jewish State, and organized the first Zionist conference in Basel in 1897.
Jews began immigrating to Israel in the modern era in the late nineteenth century. In 1917, the Balfour Declaration provided more legitimacy for the Zionist movement, as the British government officially gave its support to the establishment of a Jewish homeland in the Land of Israel. The rise of Nazism and the ensuing European Holocaust brought about a real urgency to establish a secure homeland for the Jewish people.
In 1947, the British government decided to quit Palestine and end the British mandate. The United Nations resolution 181 called for the partition of Palestine into Jewish and Arab states, preparing the ground for nationhood.
The Declaration of Independence of the State of Israel
The Declaration of Independence of the State of Israel was made on May 14, 1948, before the end of the British mandate at midnight. The historic event took place at Dizengoff House in Tel Aviv, in front of 300 invitees, including members of the Jewish National Council of Palestine. The Declaration was read by David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s first premier. The Declaration began with a description of the historic background of the Jewish people, and their aspirations for a nation; the events surrounding the Second World War; the contribution to the war efforts by Jews living in Palestine; and the recognition of the United Nations of the right of the Jewish people to establish a homeland in the historic Land of Israel. The Declaration of Independence was signed by members of the National Council and other leaders of the newly emerging state, and the meeting culminated with the singing of the national anthem, Hatikva.
The Aftermath of the Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence signaled a new era of nation building while at the same time defending the new homeland from its hostile neighbors.
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