Palestine-Related Documents

The Proclamation of 'Israel's Independence': 14 May, 1948 (Tel Aviv)

  " The Land of Israel was the birthplace of the Jewish people. Here 
their
spiritual, religious and national identity was formed. Here they achieved
independence and created a culture of national and universal 
significance. Here
they wrote and gave the Bible to the world.
   Exiled from the Land of Israel, the Jewish people remained faithful to it
in all the countries of their dispersion, never ceasing to pray and hope for
their return and the restoration of their national freedom.
    Impelled by this hiostoric association Jews strove throughout the 
centuries
to go back to the land of their fathers and regain their statehood. In recent
decades they returned in their masses. They reclaimed the wilderness, 
rvived 
their language, built cities and villages, and established a vigorous and
ever-growing community, with its own economic and cultural life. They 
sought 
peace yet were prepared to defend themselves. They brought the blessings 
of 
progress to all inhabitants of the country and looked forward to 
sovereign 
independence.
   In the year 1897 the First Zionist Congress, inspired by Theodor Herzl's
vision of the Jewish State, proclaimed the right of the Jewish people to 
national revival in their own country.
   This right was acknowledged by the Balfour Declaration of November 2, 
1917,
and re-affirmed by the mandate of the League of Nations, which gave explicit
international recognition to the historic connection of the Jewish people 
with
Palestine and their right to reconstitute their National Home.
   The recent holocaust, which engulfed millions of Jews in Europe, 
proved 
anew the need to solve the problem of the homelessness and lack of 
independence
of the Jewish people by means of the re-establishment of the Jewish State,
which would open the gates to all Jews and endow the Jewish people with 
equality
of status among tyhe family of nations.
   The survivors of the disastrius slaughter in Europe, and also Jews 
from 
other lands, have not desisted from efforts to reach Eretz 
Israel, in 
face of difficulties, obstacles and perils; and have not ceased to urge their
right to a life of dignity, freedom and honest toil in their ancestral land.
    In the Second World War the Jewish people in Palestine made their full
contribution to the struggle of the freedom-loving nations against the Nazi
evil. The sacrifices of their soldiers and their war effort gained them 
the 
right to rank with the nations which founded the United Nations.
  On November 29, 1947, the General Assembly of the United Nations 
adopted a 
Resolution requiring the establishment of a Jewish State in Palestine. The
General Assembly caloled upon the inhabitants of the country to take all the
necessary steps on their part to put the plan into effect. This recognition
by the United Nations of the right of the Jewish people to establish their
independent State is unassailable.
   It is the natural right of the Jewish peole to lead, as do all other 
nations, an independent existence in its sovereign State.
	ACCORDINGLY WE, the members of the National Council, representing the
Jewish people in Palestine, and the World Zionist Movement, are met together
in solemn assembly today, the day of termination of the British mandate 
for 
Palestine; and by virtue of the natural and historic right of the Jewish 
people
and of the Resolution of the General Assembly of the United Nations.
	WE HEREBY PROCLAIM the establishment of the Jewish State in Palestine
to be called 'Medinal Israel' (The State of Israel).
  WE HEREBY DECLARE that, as from the termination of the British Mandate at
midnight, the 14th-15th May, 1948, and pending the setting up of the duly 
elected bodies of the State in accordance with a Constitution, to be 
drwan up
by the Constituent Assembly not later than the 1st October, 1948, the 
National
Council shall act as the Provisional State Council, and that the National
Administration shall constitute the Provisional Government of the Jewish 
State,
which shall be known as Israel.
	THE STATE OF ISRAEL will be open for immigration of Jews from all
countries of their dispersion; will promote the development of the 
country for
the benefit of all its inhabitants; will be based on the principles of 
liberty,
justice and peace as conceived by the Prophets of Israel, will uphold the 
full
social and political equality of all its citizens, without distinction of 
religion, race or sex;will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, 
education
and culture; will safeguard the Holy Places of all religions; and will 
loyally
uphold the principles of the United Nations Charter.
	THE STATE OF ISRAEL will be ready to cooperate with the organs 
and 
representatives of the United Nations in the implementation of the 
Resolution of the Assembly of November, 29, 1947, and will take steps to
bring about Economic Union over the whole of Palestine.
  We appeal to the United Nations to assist the Jewish people  in the 
building
of its State and to admit Israel into the family of Nations.
  In the midst of wanton aggression, we yet call upon the Arab 
inhabitants of
the State of Israel to preserve the ways of peace and play their part in the
development of the State, on the basis of full and equal citizenship and 
due 
representation in all its bodies and institutions - provisional and 
permanent.
  We extend our hand in peace and neighbourliness to all the neighbouring 
states and their peoples, and invite them to co-operate with the independent
Jewish nation for the common good of all. The State of Israel is prepared to
make its contribution to the progress of the Middle East as a whole.
  Our call goes out to the Jewish people all over the world to rally to 
our 
side in the task of immigration and development and to stand by us in the 
great struggle for the fulfilment of the dream of generations for the 
redemption of Israel.
  With trust in Almighty God, we set our hand to this Declaration, at this
Session of the Provisional State Council, on this Sabbath eve, the fifth 
of 
Iyar, 5708, the fourteenth day of May, 1948."
---------
The Signatories David Ben-Gurion, Daniel Auster, Mordechai Bentov,
Isaac Ben-Zvi, Eliyahu Berligne, Fritz (Peretz ) Bernstein, Rabbi Wolf 
Gold, 
Meir Grabovsky, Isaac Gruenbaum, Dr Abraham Granovsky (Granott), Eliyahu
Dobkin, Meir Wilner-Kovner,Zerach Wahrhaftig, Herzl Vardi, Rachel Cohen, 
Rabbi
Kalman Kahana,Saadia Kobashi, Rabbi Isaac Meir Levin, Meir David 
Loewernstein,
Zvi Luria, Golda Myerson (Meir), Nachum Nir, Zvi Segal, Rabbi Yehuda Leib
Fishman (Maimon), David Zvi Pinkas, Aharon Zisling,Moshe Kolodny (Kol), 
Eliezer Kaplan, Abraham Katznelson, Felix Rosenblueth (Rosen), David Remez,
Berl Repetur, Mordechai Shattner, Ben Zion Sternbery, Bechor Shitreet, Moshe
Shertok (Sharett).
				[from: The essential Chaim Weizman]