Editing Israeli Declaration of Independence

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{{Infobox document
|document_name=Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel
|date_created=14 May 1948 ([[Iyar|5 Iyar]] 5708)
|location_of_document= [[Tel Aviv]]
|writer='''First Draft:'''<br />[[Zvi Berenson]]<br />'''Second Draft:'''<br />[[Moshe Sharett|Moshe Shertok]]<br />[[David Remez]]<br />[[Pinchas Rosen|Felix Rosenblueth]]<br />[[Moshe Shapira]]<br />[[Aharon Zisling]]<br />'''Third Draft:'''<br />[[David Ben-Gurion]]<br />[[Yehuda Leib Maimon|Yehuda Leib Fishman]]<br />[[Aharon Zisling]]<br />[[Moshe Sharett|Moshe Shertok]]
|signers=[[David Ben-Gurion]]<br />[[Daniel Auster]]<br />[[Yitzhak Ben-Zvi]]<br />[[Mordechai Bentov]]<br />[[Eliyahu Berligne]]<br />[[Peretz Bernstein|Fritz Bernstein]]<br />[[Rachel Cohen-Kagan]]<br />[[Eliyahu Dobkin]]<br />[[Yehuda Leib Maimon|Yehuda Leib Fishman]]<br />[[Wolf Gold]]<br />[[Meir Argov|Meir Grabovsky]]<br />[[Avraham Granot|Avraham Granovsky]]<br />[[Yitzhak Gruenbaum]]<br />[[Kalman Kahana]]<br />[[Eliezer Kaplan]]<br />[[Avraham Katznelson]]<br />[[Saadia Kobashi]]<br />[[Moshe Kol]]odny<br />[[Yitzhak-Meir Levin]]<br />[[Meir David Loewenstein]]<br />[[Zvi Luria]]<br />[[Golda Meir|Golda Meyerson]]<br />[[Nahum Nir]]<br />[[David-Zvi Pinkas]]<br />[[Pinchas Rosen|Felix Rosenblueth]]<br />[[David Remez]]<br />[[Berl Repetur]]<br />[[Zvi Segal]]<br />[[Mordechai Shatner]]<br />[[Ben-Zion Sternberg]]<br />[[Bechor-Shalom Sheetrit]]<br />[[Haim-Moshe Shapira]]<br />[[Moshe Sharett|Moshe Shertok]]<br />[[Herzl Rosenblum|Herzl Vardi]]<br />[[Meir Vilner]]<br />[[Zerach Warhaftig]]<br />[[Aharon Zisling]]
|purpose=Declare a [[Jewish state]] in [[Mandatory Palestine]] shortly before the expiration of the [[Mandate for Palestine|British Mandate]].<ref name=NYT>[https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/world/480515israel-state-50.html "Zionists Proclaim New State of Israel; Truman Recognizes it and Hopes for Peace"] ''The New York Times'', 15 May 1948</ref>
|wikisource = he:מגילת העצמאות של מדינת ישראל
|orig_lang_code=he
|title_orig=מגילת העצמאות של מדינת ישראל|caption=The declaration of independence
|image=Israel Declaration of Independence.jpg
|wikisource1=Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel}}

The '''Israeli Declaration of Independence''', formally the '''Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel'''<ref>{{Cite web |date=2013 |title=The Declaration Scroll |url=http://eng.ihi.org.il/history/the-declaration-scroll.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190426062715/http://eng.ihi.org.il/history/the-declaration-scroll.aspx |archive-date=26 April 2019 |access-date=2023-04-25 |website=Independence Hall of Israel}}</ref> ({{langx|he|הכרזה על הקמת מדינת ישראל}}), was proclaimed on 14 May 1948 (5 [[Iyar]] 5708), at the end of the [[1947–1948 civil war in Mandatory Palestine|civil war phase]] and beginning of the [[1948 Arab–Israeli War|international phase]] of the [[1948 Palestine war]], by [[David Ben-Gurion]], the Executive Head of the [[World Zionist Organization]]{{efn|name=a|Then known as the ''Zionist Organization''.}}<ref>{{cite book |last1=Brenner |first1=Michael |last2=Frisch |first2=Shelley |date=April 2003 |title=Zionism: A Brief History |publisher=Markus Wiener Publishers |page=184}}</ref> and Chairman of the [[Jewish Agency for Israel#Formation of the Jewish Agency for Palestine|Jewish Agency for Palestine]].

It declared the establishment of a [[Jewish state]] in [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]] (or the [[Land of Israel]] in the Jewish tradition), to be known as the [[Israel|State of Israel]], which would come into effect on [[End of the British Mandate for Palestine|termination]] of the [[Mandate for Palestine|British Mandate]] at midnight that day.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.knesset.gov.il/docs/eng/megilat_eng.htm|title=Proclamation of Independence|website=Knesset}}</ref><ref name="NYT" /> The event is celebrated annually in Israel as [[Independence Day (Israel)|Independence Day]], a [[National day|national holiday]] on 5 Iyar of every year according to the [[Hebrew calendar]].

==Background==
The possibility of a [[Jews|Jewish]] homeland in [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]] had been a goal of [[Zionism|Zionist]] organisations since the late 19th century. In 1917 [[Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (UK)|British Foreign Secretary]] [[Arthur Balfour]] stated in a letter to British Jewish community leader [[Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild|Walter, Lord Rothschild]] that:

<blockquote>His Majesty's government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.<ref>[[M. E. Yapp|Yapp, M.E.]] (1987). ''The Making of the Modern Near East 1792–1923''. Harlow, England: Longman. p. 290. {{ISBN|0-582-49380-3}}.</ref></blockquote>

Through this letter, which became known as the [[Balfour Declaration]], British government policy officially endorsed Zionism. After [[World War I]], the United Kingdom was given a [[League of Nations mandate|mandate]] for Palestine, which it had conquered from the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]] during the war. In 1937 the [[Peel Commission]] suggested [[Two-state solution|partitioning Mandate Palestine]] into an Arab state and a Jewish state, though the proposal was rejected as unworkable by the government and was at least partially to blame for the renewal of the [[1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine|1936–39 Arab revolt]].

[[File:UN Partition Plan For Palestine 1947.svg|thumb|upright|left|The UN partition plan]]
In the face of increasing violence after [[World War II]], the British handed the issue over to the recently established [[United Nations]]. The result was [[United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181|Resolution 181(II)]], a plan to partition Palestine into ''Independent Arab and Jewish States and the Special International Regime for the City of Jerusalem''. The Jewish state was to receive around 56% of the land area of Mandate Palestine, encompassing 82% of the Jewish population, though it would be separated from Jerusalem. The plan was accepted by most of the Jewish population, but rejected by much of the Arab populace. On [[United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine|29 November 1947, the resolution]] to recommend to the ''United Kingdom, as the mandatory Power for Palestine, and to all other Members of the United Nations the adoption and implementation, with regard to the future government of Palestine, of the Plan of Partition with Economic Union'' was put to a vote in the United Nations General Assembly.<ref>[http://domino.un.org/unispal.nsf/0/7f0af2bd897689b785256c330061d253 UNITED NATIONS General Assembly: A/RES/181(II): 29 November 1947: Resolution 181 (II): ''Future government of Palestine'': Retrieved 26 April 2012] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120524094913/http://domino.un.org/unispal.nsf/0/7f0af2bd897689b785256c330061d253 |date=24 May 2012 }}</ref>
The result was 33 to 13 in favour of the resolution, with 10 abstentions. Resolution 181(II): ''PART I: Future constitution and government of Palestine: A. TERMINATION OF MANDATE, PARTITION AND INDEPENDENCE: Clause 3'' provides:<blockquote>Independent Arab and Jewish States and the Special International Regime for the City of Jerusalem, ... shall come into existence in Palestine two months after the evacuation of the armed forces of the mandatory Power has been completed but in any case not later than 1 October 1948.</blockquote>

The Arab countries (all of which had opposed the plan) proposed to query the [[International Court of Justice]] on the competence of the General Assembly to partition a country, but the resolution was rejected.

===Drafting the text===
The first draft of the declaration was made by [[Zvi Berenson]], the legal advisor of the [[Histadrut]] trade union and later a Justice of the [[Supreme Court of Israel|Supreme Court]], at the request of [[Pinchas Rosen]]. A revised second draft was made by three lawyers, Mordechai Baham, {{ill|Uri Yadin|he|אורי ידין}} and {{ill|Zvi Eli Baker|he|צבי עלי בקר}}, and was framed by a committee including [[David Remez]], [[Pinchas Rosen]], [[Haim-Moshe Shapira]], [[Moshe Sharett]] and [[Aharon Zisling]].<ref name="Shelley" /> A second committee meeting, which included [[David Ben-Gurion]], [[Yehuda Leib Maimon]], Sharett and Zisling produced the final text.<ref name="Harris">Harris, J. (1998) [http://jtr.lib.virginia.edu/the-israeli-declaration-of-independence-a-camel-is-a-horse-produced-by-a-committee/ The Israeli Declaration of Independence] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303223149/http://jtr.lib.virginia.edu/the-israeli-declaration-of-independence-a-camel-is-a-horse-produced-by-a-committee/ |date=3 March 2016 }} ''The Journal of the Society for Textual Reasoning'', Vol. 7</ref>

===Minhelet HaAm Vote===
On 12 May 1948, the [[Provisional government of Israel|Minhelet HaAm]] ({{langx|he|מנהלת העם}}, lit. ''People's Administration'') was convened to vote on declaring independence.<ref>Tuvia Friling, S. Ilan Troen (1998) "Proclaiming Independence: Five Days in May from Ben-Gurion's Diary" [[Israel Studies]], 3.1, pp. 170–194</ref><ref>Zeev Maoz, Ben D. Mor (2002) ''Bound by Struggle: The Strategic Evolution of Enduring International Rivalries'', University of Michigan Press, p. 137</ref> Three of the thirteen members were absent, with [[Yehuda Leib Maimon]] and [[Yitzhak Gruenbaum]] being blocked in [[Battle for Jerusalem (1948)|besieged]] [[Jerusalem]], while [[Yitzhak-Meir Levin]] was in the United States.

The meeting started at 13:45 and ended after midnight. The decision was between accepting the American proposal for a truce, or declaring independence. The latter option was put to a vote, with six of the ten members present supporting it:
*'''For''': [[David Ben-Gurion]], [[Moshe Sharett]] ([[Mapai]]); [[Peretz Bernstein]] ([[General Zionists]]); [[Haim-Moshe Shapira]] ([[Hapoel HaMizrachi]]); [[Mordechai Bentov]], [[Aharon Zisling]] ([[Mapam]]).
*'''Against''': [[Eliezer Kaplan]], [[David Remez]] (Mapai); [[Pinchas Rosen]] ([[New Aliyah Party]]); [[Bechor-Shalom Sheetrit]] ([[Sephardim and Oriental Communities]]).

[[Chaim Weizmann]], the Chairman of the [[World Zionist Organization]],{{efn|name=a}} and soon to be [[List of Presidents of Israel|first]] [[President of Israel]], endorsed the decision, after reportedly asking "What are they waiting for, the idiots?"<ref name="Shelley" />

===Final wording===
The draft text was submitted for approval to a meeting of [[Provisional State Council|Moetzet HaAm]] at the [[Jewish National Fund|JNF]] building in [[Tel Aviv]] on 14 May. The meeting started at 13:50 and ended at 15:00, an hour before the declaration was due to be made. Despite ongoing disagreements, members of the Council unanimously voted in favour of the final text. During the process, there were two major debates, centering on the issues of borders and religion.

====Borders====
{{see also|Borders of Israel}}
[[File:Letter from Eliahu Epstein to Harry S. Truman, May 14, 1948.jpg|thumb|left|On the day of its proclamation, [[Eliahu Epstein]] wrote to [[Harry S. Truman]] that the state had been proclaimed "within the frontiers approved by the General Assembly of the United Nations in its Resolution of November 29, 1947".]]
The borders were not specified in the Declaration, although its 14th paragraph indicated a readiness to cooperate in the implementation of the UN Partition Plan.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.9brchambers.co.uk/media/1916/240216_ijl-statement_icj_final.pdf|title=Legal Consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem: Statement of the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists|date=16 February 2024|access-date=2 September 2024|page=39|quote=The Declaration expressed the State’s readiness to cooperate with the UN in implementing Resolution 181(II), calling on the UN to assist with state-building and on the Arab parties waging conflict to "preserve peace" and participate in building the new State with "full and equal citizenship and due representation in all its provisional and permanent institutions."}}</ref> The original draft had declared that the borders would be decided by the UN partition plan. While this was supported by Rosen and [[Bechor-Shalom Sheetrit]], it was opposed by Ben-Gurion and Zisling, with Ben-Gurion stating, "We accepted the UN Resolution, but the Arabs did not. They are preparing to make war on us. If we defeat them and capture western Galilee or territory on both sides of the road to Jerusalem, these areas will become part of the state. Why should we obligate ourselves to accept boundaries that in any case the Arabs don't accept?"<ref name="Shelley">[http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/1990_1999/1999/4/Shelley%20Kleiman%20-%20The%20State%20of%20Israel%20Declares%20Ind The State of Israel Declares Independence] Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs</ref> The inclusion of the designation of borders in the text was dropped after the provisional government of Israel, the [[Provisional government of Israel|Minhelet HaAm]], voted 5–4 against it.<ref name="Harris" /> The [[Revisionist Zionism|Revisionists]], committed to a Jewish state on both sides of the [[Jordan River]] (that is, including [[Jordan|Transjordan]]), wanted the phrase "within its historic borders" included, but were unsuccessful.

==== Religion ====
{{More citations needed section|date=January 2024}}
The second major issue was over the inclusion of God in the last section of the document, with the draft using the phrase "and placing our trust in the Almighty". The two [[rabbi]]s, Shapira and [[Yehuda Leib Maimon]], argued for its inclusion, saying that it could not be omitted, with Shapira supporting the wording "God of Israel" or "the Almighty and Redeemer of Israel".<ref name="Shelley" /> It was strongly opposed by Zisling, a member of the secularist [[Mapam]]. In the end the phrase "[[Rock of Israel]]" was used, which could be interpreted as either referring to God, or the land of [[Eretz Israel]], Ben-Gurion saying "Each of us, in his own way, believes in the 'Rock of Israel' as he conceives it. I should like to make one request: Don't let me put this phrase to a vote." Although its use was still opposed by Zisling, the phrase was accepted without a vote.

==== Name ====
The writers also had to decide on the name for the new state. [[Land of Israel|Eretz Israel]], Ever (from the name [[Eber]]), [[Judea]], and [[Zion]] were all suggested, as were Ziona, Ivriya and Herzliya.<ref>[[Martin Gilbert|Gilbert, M.]] (1998) ''Israel: A History'', London: Doubleday. p. 187. {{ISBN|0-385-40401-8}}</ref> Judea and Zion were rejected because, according to the partition plan, Jerusalem (Zion) and most of the [[Judaean Mountains]] would be outside the new state.<ref>{{cite news |date=7 May 2008 |title=Why not Judea? Zion? State of the Hebrews? |newspaper=Haaretz |url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/981617.html |access-date=22 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080510134718/http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/981617.html |archive-date=10 May 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Ben-Gurion put forward "Israel" and it passed by a vote of 6–3.<ref name="JPost" /> Official documents released in April 2013 by the State Archive of Israel show that days before the establishment of the State of Israel in May 1948, officials were still debating about what the new country would be called in Arabic: Palestine ({{lang|ar|فلسطين}}, ''Filasṭīn''), Zion ({{lang|ar|صهيون}}, ''Ṣahyūn'') or Israel ({{lang|ar|إسرائيل}}, '''Isrā’īl'').  Two assumptions were made: "That an Arab state was about to be established alongside the Jewish one in keeping with the UN's partition resolution the year before, and that the Jewish state would include a large Arab minority whose feelings needed to be taken into account".  In the end, the officials rejected the name Palestine because they thought that would be the name of the new Arab state and could cause confusion so they opted for the most straightforward option of Israel.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/leaders-grappled-over-arabic-name-for-fledgling-state/|title=Why Israel's first leaders chose not to call the country 'Palestine' in Arabic|website=The Times of Israel}}</ref>

==== Other items ====
At the meeting on 14 May, several other members of Moetzet HaAm suggested additions to the document. [[Meir Vilner]] wanted it to denounce the British Mandate and military but Sharett said it was out of place. [[Meir Argov]] pushed to mention the [[Displaced Persons camp]]s in Europe and to guarantee freedom of [[language]]. Ben-Gurion agreed with the latter but noted that Hebrew should be the main language of the state.

The debate over wording did not end completely even after the Declaration had been made. Declaration signer [[Meir David Loewenstein]] later claimed, "It ignored our sole right to [[Land of Israel|Eretz Israel]], which is based on the covenant of the Lord with [[Abraham]], our father, and repeated promises in the [[Tanakh|Tanach]]. It ignored the aliya of the [[Nahmanides|Ramban]] and the students of the [[Vilna Gaon]] and the [[Baal Shem Tov|Ba'al Shem Tov]], and the [rights of] Jews who lived in the 'Old Yishuv'."<ref name="EIF">[http://www.eretzisraelforever.net/Articles/Articles_ViewArticle.asp?sAction=view&iArticleId=1825010290 Wallish and the Declaration of Independence] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723115930/http://www.eretzisraelforever.net/Articles/Articles_ViewArticle.asp?sAction=view&iArticleId=1825010290 |date=23 July 2011 }} ''The Jerusalem Post'', 1998 (republished on Eretz Israel Forever)</ref>

== Declaration ceremony ==
[[File:Israel -Independence May 14, 1948.jpg|thumb|upright|A celebratory crowd outside the [[Independence Hall (Israel)|Tel Aviv Museum]], located in 16 [[Rothschild Boulevard]], to hear the Declaration]]
[[File:Invitation to Signing of Israel's Declaration of Independence.PNG|thumb|upright|left|The invitation to the ceremony, dated 13 May 1948.]]
[[File:Declaration of State of Israel 1948.jpg|thumb|[[David Ben-Gurion]] declaring independence beneath a large portrait of [[Theodor Herzl]], founder of modern [[Zionism]]]]
The ceremony was held in the [[Independence Hall (Israel)|Tel Aviv Museum]] (today known as Independence Hall) but was not widely publicised as it was feared that the British Authorities might attempt to prevent it or that the Arab armies might invade earlier than expected. An invitation was sent out by messenger on the morning of 14 May telling recipients to arrive at 15:30 and to keep the event a secret. The event started at 16:00 (a time chosen so as not to breach the [[shabbat|sabbath]]) and was broadcast live as the first transmission of the new radio station [[Kol Yisrael]].<ref>[http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/mfa-archive/1999/pages/shelley%20kleiman%20-%20the%20state%20of%20israel%20declares%20ind.aspx Shelley Kleiman-The State of Israel Declares Independence] Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs</ref>

The final draft of the declaration was typed at the [[Jewish National Fund]] building following its approval earlier in the day. [[Ze'ev Sherf]], who stayed at the building in order to deliver the text, had forgotten to arrange transport for himself. Ultimately, he had to flag down a passing car and ask the driver (who was driving a borrowed car without a licence) to take him to the ceremony. Sherf's request was initially refused but he managed to persuade the driver to take him.<ref name="Shelley"/> The car was stopped by a policeman for speeding while driving across the city though a ticket was not issued after it was explained that he was delaying the declaration of independence.<ref name="JPost" /> Sherf arrived at the museum at 15:59.<ref>[http://www.stljewishlight.com/news/world/article_7d1c7f6e-3efb-11e2-b93a-0019bb2963f4.html "The throwback museum that echoes independence"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200612085528/https://www.stljewishlight.com/news/world/article_7d1c7f6e-3efb-11e2-b93a-0019bb2963f4.html |date=12 June 2020 }} ''St. Louis Jewish Light'', 5 December 2012</ref>

At 16:00, Ben-Gurion opened the ceremony by banging his [[gavel]] on the table, prompting a spontaneous rendition of [[Hatikvah]], soon to be Israel's [[national anthem]], from the 250 guests.<ref name="JPost">[http://info.jpost.com/1998/Supplements/Jubilee/2.html One Day that Shook the world] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112220409/http://info.jpost.com/1998/Supplements/Jubilee/2.html |date=12 January 2012 }} ''The Jerusalem Post'', 30 April 1998, by Elli Wohlgelernter</ref> On the wall behind the podium hung a picture of [[Theodor Herzl]], the founder of modern Zionism, and two flags, later to become the official [[flag of Israel]].

After telling the audience "I shall now read to you the scroll of the Establishment of the State, which has passed its first reading by the [[Jewish National Council|National Council]]", Ben-Gurion proceeded to read out the declaration, taking 16 minutes, ending with the words "Let us accept the Foundation Scroll of the Jewish State by rising" and calling on Rabbi [[Yehuda Leib Maimon|Fishman]] to recite the [[Shehecheyanu]] blessing.<ref name="JPost" />

=== Signatories ===
[[File:Flickr - Government Press Office (GPO) - Ben Gurion (Left) Signing the Declaration of Independence.jpg|thumb|left|Ben Gurion (left) signing the Declaration of Independence held by Moshe Sharett]]
As leader of the [[Yishuv]], [[David Ben-Gurion]] was the first person to sign. The declaration was due to be signed by all 37 members of Moetzet HaAm. However, twelve members could not attend, with eleven of them trapped in [[Siege of Jerusalem (1948)|besieged]] [[Jerusalem]] and one abroad. The remaining 25 signatories present were called up in alphabetical order to sign, leaving spaces for those absent. Although a space was left for him between the signatures of [[Eliyahu Dobkin]] and [[Meir Vilner]], [[Zerach Warhaftig]] signed at the top of the next column, leading to speculation that Vilner's name had been left alone to isolate him, or to stress that even a communist had agreed with the declaration.<ref name="JPost" /> However, Warhaftig later denied this, stating that a space had been left for him (as he was one of the signatories trapped in Jerusalem) where a Hebraicised form of his name would have fitted alphabetically, but he insisted on signing under his actual name so as to honour his father's memory and so moved down two spaces. He and Vilner would be the last surviving signatories, and remained close for the rest of their lives. Of the signatories, two were women ([[Golda Meir]] and [[Rachel Cohen-Kagan]]).<ref name=TAM/>

When [[Herzl Rosenblum]], a journalist, was called up to sign, Ben-Gurion instructed him to sign under the name Herzl Vardi, his pen name, as he wanted more Hebrew names on the document. Although Rosenblum acquiesced to Ben-Gurion's request and legally changed his name to Vardi, he later admitted to regretting not signing as Rosenblum.<ref name=JPost /> Several other signatories later Hebraised their names, including [[Meir Argov]] (Grabovsky), [[Peretz Bernstein]] (then Fritz Bernstein), [[Avraham Granot]] (Granovsky), [[Avraham Katznelson|Avraham Nissan]] (Katznelson), [[Moshe Kol]] (Kolodny), [[Yehuda Leib Maimon]] (Fishman), [[Golda Meir]] (Meyerson/Myerson), [[Pinchas Rosen]] (Felix Rosenblueth) and [[Moshe Sharett]] (Shertok). Other signatories added their own touches, including [[Saadia Kobashi]] who added the phrase "HaLevy", referring to the tribe of [[Levi]].<ref name=TAM>[http://www.tam.co.il/23_4_2004/magazin11.htm For this reason we congregated] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013182456/http://www.tam.co.il/23_4_2004/magazin11.htm |date=13 October 2007 }} ''Iton Tel Aviv'', 23 April 2004</ref>

After Sharett, the last of the signatories, had put his name to paper, the audience again stood and the [[Israel Philharmonic Orchestra]] played "Hatikvah". Ben-Gurion concluded the event with the words "The State of Israel is established! This meeting is adjourned!"<ref name="JPost" />

== Aftermath ==
{{main|1948 Palestine war}}
{{History of Israel}}
The declaration was signed in the context of [[1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine|civil war between the Arab and Jewish populations of the Mandate]] that had started the day after the partition vote at the UN six months earlier. Neighbouring Arab states and the [[Arab League]] were opposed to the vote and had declared they would intervene to prevent its implementation. In a [[:s:Cablegram from the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States to the Secretary-General of the United Nations|cablegram]] on 15 May 1948 to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States claimed that "the Arab states find themselves compelled to intervene in order to restore law and order and to check further bloodshed".<ref>[https://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=S/745 PDF copy of Cablegram from the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States of the 15 May 1948: Retrieved 13 December 2013] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140107030419/http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=S%2F745 |date= 7 January 2014 }}</ref>

Over the next few days after the declaration, armies of Egypt, Trans-Jordan, Iraq, and Syria engaged Israeli troops inside the area of what had just ceased to be Mandatory Palestine, thereby starting the [[1948 Arab–Israeli War]]. A truce began on 11 June, but fighting resumed on 8 July and stopped again on 18 July, before restarting in mid-October and finally ending on 24 July 1949 with the signing of the [[1949 Armistice Agreements|armistice agreement]] with Syria. By then Israel had retained its independence and increased its land area by almost 50% compared to the 1947 UN Partition Plan.<ref>{{cite book |last=Cragg |first=Kenneth |title=Palestine. The Prize and Price of Zion |publisher=Cassel |year=1997 |pages=57, 116 |isbn=978-0-304-70075-2}}</ref>

Following the declaration, Moetzet HaAm became the [[Provisional State Council]], which acted as the legislative body for the new state until the [[1949 Israeli legislative election|first elections]] in January 1949.<ref>Louvish, Misha (30 December 2006). Encyclopaedia Judaica. Vol. 10 (2nd ed.). Macmillan Reference USA. p. 209. ISBN 9780028659282</ref>

Many of the signatories would play a prominent role in [[Politics of Israel|Israeli politics]] following independence; Moshe Sharett and Golda Meir both served as Prime Minister, [[Yitzhak Ben-Zvi]] [[1952 Israeli presidential election|became]] the country's second [[President of Israel|president]] in 1952, and several others served as [[Cabinet of Israel|ministers]]. [[David Remez]] was the first signatory to pass away, dying in May 1951, while Meir Vilner, the youngest signatory at just 29, was the longest living, serving in the [[Knesset]] until 1990 and dying in June 2003. [[Eliyahu Berligne]], the oldest signatory at 82, died in 1959.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2003-06-08 |title=The Signatories of the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel |url=https://www.gov.il/en/pages/signatories-of-the-declaration-of-the-establishment-of-the-state |access-date=2024-11-10 |website=Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel via gov.il}}</ref>

Eleven minutes after midnight, the United States ''de facto'' [[International recognition of Israel|recognised]] the State of Israel.<ref>[https://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2008-278 National Archives Celebrates 60th Anniversary of the State of Israel] National Archives, 28 April 2008</ref> This was followed by Iran (which had voted against the UN partition plan), Guatemala, Iceland, Nicaragua, [[Communist Romania|Romania]], and Uruguay. The Soviet Union was the first nation to fully recognise Israel [[de jure]] on 17 May 1948,<ref>Ian J. Bickerton (2009) ''The Arab-Israeli Conflict: A History'' Reaktion Books, p. 79</ref> followed by [[People's Republic of Poland|Poland]], [[History of Czechoslovakia (1948–1989)|Czechoslovakia]], [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]], Ireland, and South Africa.{{Citation needed|date=March 2010}} The United States extended official recognition after the first [[1949 Israeli legislative election|Israeli election]], as Truman had promised on 31 January 1949.<ref>[http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study_collections/israel/large/documents/index.php?documentdate=1949-01-31&documentid=1-15&collectionid=ROI&pagenumber=1 Press Release, 31 January 1949. Official File, Truman Papers] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171207140829/https://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study_collections/israel/large/documents/index.php?documentdate=1949-01-31&documentid=1-15&collectionid=ROI&pagenumber=1 |date=7 December 2017 }} Truman Library</ref> By virtue of [[United Nations General Assembly Resolution 273|General Assembly Resolution 273 (III)]], Israel was admitted to membership in the United Nations on 11 May 1949.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/83E8C29DB812A4E9852560E50067A5AC|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130615041505/http://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/83E8C29DB812A4E9852560E50067A5AC |url-status=dead |title=United Nations Maintenance Page|archive-date=15 June 2013|publisher=United Nations}}</ref>

In the three years following the [[1948 Palestine war]], about 700,000 Jews immigrated to Israel, residing mainly along the borders and in former Arab lands.<ref>Benny Morris, ''Righteous Victims'', chap. VI.</ref> Around 136,000 were some of the 250,000 displaced Jews of World War II.<ref name="ushmm2007">[http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10005462 Displaced Persons] Retrieved 29 October 2007 from the US Holocaust Museum.</ref> And from the [[1948 Arab–Israeli War]] until the early 1970s, 800,000–1,000,000 Jews [[Jewish exodus from Arab and Muslim countries|left, fled, or were expelled]] from their homes in Arab countries; 260,000 of them reached Israel between 1948 and 1951; and 600,000 by 1972.<ref name="Schwartz">{{cite news |last=Schwartz |first=Adi |date=4 January 2008 |title=All I Wanted was Justice |work=Haaretz |url=http://www.adi-schwartz.com/israeli-arab-conflict/all-i-wanted-was-justice/ |access-date=13 May 2012 |archive-date=20 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160320053204/http://www.adi-schwartz.com/israeli-arab-conflict/all-i-wanted-was-justice/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=Shulewitz>Malka Hillel Shulewitz, ''The Forgotten Millions: The Modern Jewish Exodus from Arab Lands'', Continuum 2001, pp. 139 and 155.</ref><ref name=Aharoni>[[Ada Aharoni]] [http://www.hsje.org/forcedmigration.htm "The Forced Migration of Jews from Arab Countries"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120213230126/http://www.hsje.org/forcedmigration.htm |date=13 February 2012 }}, Historical Society of Jews from Egypt website. Accessed 1 February 2009.</ref>

At the same time, a large number of Arabs [[1948 Palestinian exodus|left, fled or were expelled]] from, what became Israel. In the ''Report of the Technical Committee on Refugees (Submitted to the United Nations Conciliation Commission for Palestine in Lausanne on 7 September 1949) – (A/1367/Rev.1)'', in paragraph 15,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://domino.un.org/unispal.nsf/9a798adbf322aff38525617b006d88d7/93037e3b939746de8525610200567883|title=Report of the Technical Committee on Refugees (Submitted to the United Nations Conciliation Commission for Palestine in Lausanne on 7 September 1949) – (A/1367/Rev.1)|access-date=2 August 2012|archive-date=3 June 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070603050907/http://domino.un.org/unispal.nsf/9a798adbf322aff38525617b006d88d7/93037e3b939746de8525610200567883|url-status=dead}}</ref> the estimate of the statistical expert, which the Committee believed to be as accurate as circumstances permitted, indicated that the number of refugees from Israel-controlled territory amounted to approximately 711,000.<ref>
[https://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/93037E3B939746DE8525610200567883 General Progress Report and Supplementary Report of the United Nations Conciliation Commission for Palestine, Covering the Period from 11 December 1949 to 23 October 1950] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140520201651/http://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/93037E3B939746DE8525610200567883 |date=20 May 2014 }}, published by the [[United Nations Conciliation Commission]], 23 October 1950. (U.N. General Assembly Official Records, 5th Session, Supplement No. 18, Document A/1367/Rev. 1)</ref>

== Status in Israeli law ==
[[File:Israel ind mus.JPG|thumb|upright|[[Independence Hall (Israel)|Independence Hall]] as it appeared in 2007]]
Paragraph 13 of the Declaration provides that the State of Israel would ''be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel; it will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex;''. However, the [[Knesset]] maintains that the declaration is neither a law nor an ordinary legal document.<ref>[https://www.knesset.gov.il/lexicon/eng/megilat_eng.htm The Proclamation of Independence] Knesset website</ref> The [[Supreme Court of Israel|Supreme Court]] has ruled that the guarantees were merely guiding principles, and that the declaration is not a constitutional law making a practical ruling on the upholding or nullification of various ordinances and statutes.<ref>[http://www.mfa.gov.il/NR/exeres/11364F53-F19B-4760-AA91-E066DDD0B29B.htm The Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel] Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs</ref>

In 1994 the Knesset amended two [[Basic Laws of Israel|basic laws]], [[Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty|Human Dignity and Liberty]] and Freedom of Occupation, introducing (among other changes) a statement saying "the fundamental human rights in Israel will be honored (...) in the spirit of the principles included in the declaration of the establishment of the State of Israel."

== The scroll ==
Although Ben-Gurion had told the audience that he was reading from the scroll of independence, he was actually reading from handwritten notes because only the bottom part of the scroll had been finished by artist and calligrapher [[Otte Wallish]] by the time of the declaration (he did not complete the entire document until June).<ref name="EIF"/> The scroll, which is bound together in three parts, is generally kept in the country's National Archives.

== See also ==

{{portal|Israel|Politics|Modern history}}
* {{annotated link|Churchill White Paper}}
* {{annotated link|1929 Palestine riots}}
* {{annotated link|Passfield white paper}}
* {{annotated link|White Paper of 1939}}
* {{annotated link|The Recording of the Israel Declaration of Independence}}
* {{annotated link|Palestinian Declaration of Independence}}
* {{annotated link|Independence Day (Israel)}}
* {{annotated link|List of international declarations}}

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|group=note}}
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* {{Cite journal |last=Herf |first=Jeffrey |date=November 2021 |title=The U.S. State Department's Opposition to Zionist Aspirations during the Early Cold War |journal=[[Journal of Cold War Studies]] |volume=23 |issue=4 |pages=153–180 |doi=10.1162/jcws_a_01042 |issn=1520-3972}}

== External links ==
{{Sister project links |commonscat=yes |wikt=no |n=no |q=no |v=no}}
* [https://www.knesset.gov.il/docs/eng/megilat_eng.htm Proclamation of Independence: Official Gazette: Number 1; Tel Aviv, 5 Iyar 5708, 14.5.1948 Page 1]
* {{cite web |title=Declaration of Israel's Independence, 1948 |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/truman-israel/ |website=www.pbs.org |publisher=[[PBS]] |access-date=17 April 2025 |language=en}}
* [http://www.engel-art.co.il/exhibitions.php?id=61 "Signatorius"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721140139/http://www.engel-art.co.il/exhibitions.php?id=61 |date=21 July 2011 }}, exhibition held at the Engel Gallery dealing with the independence declaration in Israeli art.
* [https://embassies.gov.il/MFA/AboutIsrael/history/Pages/Declaration%20of%20Establishment%20of%20State%20of%20Israel.aspx Declaration of Establishment of State of Israel] – English translation of text on the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs website

{{Zionism and the Land of Israel}}
{{Documents of Mandatory Palestine}}
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[[Category:Israeli Declaration of Independence| ]]
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[[Category:1948 in international relations]]
[[Category:1948 in Israeli politics|Declaration of Independence]]
[[Category:20th century in Tel Aviv]]
[[Category:David Ben-Gurion]]
[[Category:Declarations of independence]]
[[Category:History of Zionism]]
[[Category:May 1948 in Asia]]
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