65 Years Ago: The Establishment of the State of Israel2 photos

65 years ago
the state of Israel was established

The Second World War came to an end, and the world celebrated its victory over fascism. During this war, only one-third of Europe’s nearly nine-million Jewish population survived, but their struggles were far from over. After the war, the British imposed even stricter restrictions on Jewish immigration to Palestine.

In response, the "Jewish Resistance Movement" was formed, aiming to fight against British authorities for free access to the country. Despite the British naval blockade and border patrols, approximately 85,000 people managed to reach Palestine through secret and often dangerous routes between 1944 and 948.

The situation in the region was extremely unstable, forcing the British government to hand over the Palestinian issue to the United Nations.

On November 29, 1947, the UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly – 33 to 13 – in favor of dividing Palestine into two states.

On May 14, 1948, as the British mandate came to an end, David Ben-Gurion read out the Declaration of Independence of the new nation, which was officially named the State of Israel.

The following year, Israel’s parliament enacted a law designating the fifth day of the month of Iyar as Yom HaAzmaut – Independence Day.