Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel - Milestone Documents

Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel

( 1948 ) Commentary by Dan Tamir, University of Zürich, Switzerland
  • “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.” - Paragraph 8
  • “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 called 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.” - Paragraph 9
  • “We hereby proclaim the establishment of the Jewish State in Palestine, to be called Medinath Yisrael (The State of Israel).” - Paragraph 12
  • “We hereby declare that, as from the termination of the Mandate at midnight, the 14th–15th May, 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.” - Paragraph 13
  • “The State of Israel will be open to the 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.” - Paragraph 14
  • “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.” - Paragraph 17
Image for: Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel

British military group during mandate of Palestine in the court of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Library of Congress)

View Full Size

Related Docs