May 14 - Creation of the State of Israel

This Day in History: 14 May 2020

 

14 May 1948

 

72 years ago, today, the State of Israel was proclaimed by David Ben-Gurion, the Jewish Agency Chairman, establishing the first Jewish state in 2,000 years. Prior to this, the British had assumed control of Palestine following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War One. In November 1917, the British government issued the Balfour Declaration, announcing their intention to establish a national home for the Jewish people, thus facilitating Jewish immigration and encouraging Jewish settlement in Palestine. However, the Arabs were opposed to this, and increased their attacks against the Jews.

 

After World War Two, the British concluded that they could no longer manage Palestine. Immigration restrictions against the Jews had continued, causing Jewish survivors of the Holocaust to be turned away. Jews were still smuggled into Palestine with the help of the Jewish Agency and the Haganah, and underground groups of Jews began to engage in open warfare against the British. Palestine was handed over to the United Nations, who devised a partition plan for Palestine, having one Jewish and one Arab state, but this was rejected by the Arabs. British mandate over Palestine officially ended at midnight on this day, and at 4:00pm, the creation of the State of Israel was proclaimed, recognised by the United States and the Soviet Union shortly afterwards. However, the new state faced many challenges, such as war against Arab states and a mass immigration problem. Today, conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians continue in Israel and the occupied territories.

 

Want to find out more about the history of the State of Israel and the conflict between Israel and Palestine? Click here for more information on Israel's history, or here for a Crash Course video on the conflict.