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 historic 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, revived 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 the family of nations.
The survivors of the disastrous 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
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.
It is the natural right of the Jewish people 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 drawn 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 neighborliness to all the neighboring 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 fulfillment 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).