It was officially announced on May 14, 1948. The creation of Israel was based on a resolution approved a year earlier at the United Nations (UN) and which foresaw the division of the then territory of Palestine into two states: one Arab and one Jewish. .
At the time, Palestine was under British administration and was inhabited by an Arab majority. Therefore, the UN resolution, which was accepted by Jewish leaders, ended up being rejected by the rulers of the Arab countries neighboring Palestine.
Diplomatic discussions were still hot when Jewish leaders rushed to declare Israel’s independence in May 1948. The Arab response was immediate: the day after the declaration of independence, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq attacked the new country. Around 750,000 Arabs living in the region were forced to flee because of the conflict. On the other hand, 800,000 Jews residing in countries such as Syria, Iraq, Tunisia, Libya and Yemen left their homes in a hurry, the majority immediately becoming citizens of Israel.
The Israeli victory would come the following year, in 1949, guaranteeing the survival of the new country. But, far from reassuring things, the outcome of the conflict only sowed more violence in the region. Violence that continues to this day.
bloody independence Region has been in a state of war for over 70 years
1897
The first Zionist Congress, in Basel, Switzerland, marks the beginning of the movement that claims a state for the Jews in Palestine. This region in the Middle East is not chosen at random: Jews claim they lived there until they were expelled by the Roman Empire in the 1st century.
1939
With the onset of World War II (1939-1945), the German Nazis began to persecute Jews throughout Europe. An estimated 6 million died in concentration and extermination camps, known as the Holocaust.
1946
At the end of the war, with millions of persecuted Jews with nowhere to go, Zionism gains strength. The British, who dominated Palestine, try to prevent the immigration of Jews to the region – more than 50 thousand refugees are detained on the island of Cyprus
1947
On November 29, 1947, the United Nations (UN) approves the division of Palestine into two states: one Jewish and one Arab. Jewish leaders accept the UN resolution, but the Arab countries do not – at the time, 1.3 million Arabs and 600,000 Jews lived in the region
1948
As British troops leave Palestine, Zionist groups move to soon organize the Jewish state. On May 14, the President of the Jewish Agency for Palestine, David Ben-Gurion, announces the formation of Israel
1948/49
Neighboring Arab countries do not recognize the new country and the Israeli War of Independence begins, the first of a series of conflicts between Arabs and Israelis. The war ends in 1949. Israel not only wins, but also manages to enlarge the Jewish state