Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel

Audience

The immediate audience of the declaration of independence were the members of the People's Council and the dignitaries assembled at the Tel Aviv Museum, as well as the thousands of people gathered in the boulevard and the adjacent streets. But Ben-Gurion aimed the declaration to much larger audiences. The phrasing was the outcome of a compromise, an attempt to satisfy all parts of the Hebrew-speaking community. Additionally, though, the declaration had three other main audiences.

First was the international community. Assuming that the Hebrew community of Palestine would not be able to repel an Arab attack on it, Ben-Gurion emphasized the appeal for international recognition and support. This was in line with the long-standing policy of the Palestinian Workers Party of maintaining good relations with at least one superpower. Hence, under mandate rule Ben-Gurion usually opposed demands to directly confront the British government. Later, during the 1950s, he relied mostly on alliances with Great Britain and France; during the 1960s his successors allied with the United States.

Second were the people living in Palestine. The message for this audience was less in the content of the declaration and more in the fact that it was delivered by Ben-Gurion, leader of the largest political party, and signed by members of many other parties and factions—from the nationalist right to the Communist Party—including representatives of religious Jewish groups. By that, Ben-Gurion managed to show his authority, which later on helped him maintain power as prime minister for more than a decade. It is still contested how serious and sincere was Ben-Gurion's' call for the Arab inhabitants to take part in the building of the land, given that on the day of the declaration a de facto civil war had already been raging for some six months.

A third audience was made up of Jewish communities abroad. Facing considerable opposition to Zionism among many Jewish communities, the authors of the declaration did not forget to address Jews all around the world, with the hope of harnessing them to their efforts.