The Key to Israel’s Declaration of Independence, an Excellent Document
The State of Israel was officially born on May 14, 1948, when David Ben-Gurion founded Israel in the famous region of the Middle East, which at the time was inhabited by the Palestinian population, A project to declare our independence as a country.
This idea was not new, far from it. Already in the 19th century, Theodor Herzl, the founder of the Zionist movement, proposed the same territory of Palestine where Build a home for the Jewish community As a solution to European anti-Semitism, considering its relationship with the Old Testament.
Thus, in 1923 a Jewish-Zionist organization known as the Jewish Agency was born with this very purpose. Protecting the interests of the community during the British Mandate of PalestineA cause that the British government supported through the Balfour Declaration, but which led to conflict between Arabs living in the area and Jews who had recently arrived en masse from Europe.
After World War II, in 1947, the United Nations (UN) proposed dividing the territory of Palestine into two states, one Arab and the other Jewish.
To read more: The story behind the creation of Israel
David Ben-Gurion, who was director of the Jewish Agency at the time, took the opportunity to build in 1948 A document that will declare the independence of the Israeli territoryWritten by a group of politicians and lawyers based on the United States Declaration of Independence and its Constitution.
Thanks to this writing, which was read for the first time in the Tel Aviv Museum on Friday, May 14 of that year, Ben-Giron would also soon become Israel’s first Prime Minister., There is no doubt that the document had great influence, but what were its contents?
What did Israel’s Declaration of Independence say?
The document was divided into 4 parts They cover basic questions about the context of the Jewish people and also considers the functioning of its statehood, its intentions toward its residents, Diaspora Jews, and neighboring and international countries. According to the Israel Education Center, they are as follows:
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Biblical, historical and international legal foundations of the existence of the Jewish state in the Land of Israel.
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Reveal the right of the Jewish people to claim the state.
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Declaration of establishment of the state.
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Announcements on the working of the State.
This announcement includes Claims that would give the Jewish people the right to claim the territoryBiblical writings, citing events such as the exile of the Jews, and more recent references to the reasons that led them to return to this land, such as the birth of the Zionist movement or the Holocaust.
All the reasons mentioned would be what push the Jewish community towards Seek self-determination and independence By the creation of a state that, according to the writings, would guarantee the protection of the civil rights of its citizens and receive diaspora Jews.
The document also highlights those Occasions in which the international community has recognized this rightAs is the case of the League of Nations in relation to the establishment of a national home in 1922 and the United Nations in relation to the establishment of a Jewish state in 1947.
Finally, as far as foreign relations are concerned, Israel’s Declaration of Independence, despite the existence of an active conflict at the time of its writing, indicates the state’s intentions to pursue peaceful paths with neighboring countries.
Although the intention and need to draft a constitution before October of the same year is also mentioned, This second document did not come to light until a decade later, in 1958., However, there is a reference to the establishment of the National Administration as the provisional government of the State of Israel until state bodies are duly elected in accordance with the Constitution.
Soon after, the war began
After the Declaration of Independence was signed by representatives of Israeli political parties and Ben-Guiron read its contents in Tel Aviv, he sent his secretary Keep the document in the safe deposit box From the bank.
The British Empire immediately withdrew from the territory of Palestine, ending the mandate received after World War I. a few hours later, Neighboring Arab countries attacked the newly formed state of Israel The bombing of the outskirts of Tel Aviv started the first war that would last until 1949, but would have consequences that still echo in the region’s ongoing conflicts today.