The creation of the State of Israel

The Anglo-American commission of inquiry, which visited Palestine and the displaced persons camps, recommends in its conclusions the creation of a binational state and the immediate immigration of 100,000 Jewish refugees. But, unable to bring peace, the British authorities brought the problem before the UN (14 February 1947). At the same time, the leadership of the Zionist movement ends the armed struggle to focus its energy on illegal immigration.

On 15 May 1947, eleven states charged with proposing a solution within a UN commission of inquiry proposed the partition of Palestine and the internationalization of Jerusalem. Jointly sponsored by the USA and the USSR, the sharing proposal was adopted on 29 November 1947 by the UN General Assembly, with 33 votes to 13 and 10 abstentions. Britain decided to end its mandate on 15 May 1948, while the Jewish leaders accepted the UN partition plan rejected by all Arab parties.

From 30 November 1947, the rejection of the Arab populations was heard. And while the Jewish population is letting its joy shine and raising blue and white flags, the Arab community is fasting in mourning. The tension degenerated into a surge of violence in the early days of December 1947, each party trying to take possession of strategic positions before the departure of the British.

On Friday, 14 May 1948 in a hall of the Tel-Aviv museum, the leaders of the Jewish Agency in accordance with the UN decision to create a "Jewish state" in Palestine proclaimed the creation of the State of Israel. David Ben-Gurion intervened and read out the declaration of independence, which in 19 paragraphs defined the statutes of the new state. Sixteen minutes later, the United States and the USSR recognized the State of Israel.

On 15 May 1948, Egyptian, Trans-Jordanian, Iraqi and Syrian troops crossed the border and engaged in fighting. Facing them, the self-defense force (Haganah) and its shock unit (the Palmach) are transformed into a national army (Tsahal). It is equipped with light weapons, a rare heavy equipment and some aircraft. These groups include many survivors of the Shoah (1/3 of the number), as well as a brigade of volunteers from the diaspora, the Mahal, who came like mere individuals to defend the rebirth of the Jewish state, dreamed by the first Zionists, and Theodore Herzl at the end of the 19th century.

Arriv�e � Ha�fa du Mataroa venu de France

Arrival in Haifa of the Mataroa from France. On the bridge, young survivors from the camps raise the flag of Israel. July 1945.
© Shoah Memorial / CDJC - United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.