Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel

Questions for Further Study

• 1.: How did the wave of nationalism that swept over Europe in the nineteenth century contribute to the formation of the state of Israel in the twentieth century?
• 2.: How might the troubled modern history of Palestine have been different if the region had not become a British Mandate after World War I? What effect would that have had on the quest for Jewish nationhood?
• 3.: Compare the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel with the entry Theodor Herzl's “A Solution to the Jewish Question.” What would Herzl's reaction have been to the declaration? To what extent was the declaration a realization of Herzl's vision?
• 4.: Does it strike you as surprising that in a declaration establishing a state in which Judaism would be the dominant religion there would be controversy about the inclusion of the word “God” in the document? Why do you think such a controversy arose?
• 5.: Compare the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel and the events surrounding it with the Palestinian National Charter and the events leading to (and following) the formation of the Palestine Liberation Organization. What has been the source of the continuing hostility and conflict in the region? Do you think that conflict will ever be resolved in the near future?