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Declaration, in the League of Nations' Mandate for Palestine, and in the decision of the UN
General Assembly on 16th Kislev 5708 (November 29, 1947) concerning the establishment
of a Jewish state in the Land of Israel;
And the King of Britain having ceded the Mandate over this land and abdicated
responsibility for its administration,
A nd in order to remove the curse of the Diaspora from the Jewish People, and its
dependence on foreign peoples as a minority in every place, and in order to gather together
the dispersed of the nation and to ensure [the nation] a life of labor and creativity, freedom
and independence;
We, the People's Council, representatives of the Zionist Movement and the Yishuv in
Palestine, gathered here for this auspicious occasion, hereby declare the establishment of a
free and sovereign Jewish state in the borders outlined in the decision of the UN General
Assembly, with all the rights and authority that natural law and international law bestow
upon an independent state.
The state shall be called ….
The state shall be a democratic one, with unlimited immigration for Jews; a state of
freedom, justice and peace, in the spirit of the vision of the Jewish prophets and of the father
of political Zionism, Theodor Herzl, of blessed memory; inspired with the principles of the
UN Charter.
W e declare that from this day up until the establishment of regular administrative bodies
in accordance with the Constitution to be approved by a formative meeting of the Jewish
State, the People's Council will become a Provisional State Council, with full authority
for the state's legislation and administration, and the obligation to defend its security and
protect its integrity and independence.
W e call upon the Arab citizens of the Jewish state to take part in building the state;
we extend our hand in peace and friendship to the nations of the neighboring countries,
and appeal to the nations of the world to recognize us as a society with equal rights and
obligations amongst the family of nations.
A ll residents of the state are required to maintain calm and peace, and are hereby ordered
to obey and heed the Provisional State Council and the authorities that it will establish, and
to cooperate with them.
With faith in the Rock of Israel we hereby sign our names in testimony to this declaration
of ours, here in the Land of Israel, on this day, the eve of 6th Iyar, 5708 (May 15, 1948).
(Signatures of the 37 members of the People's Council)
This draft served as the basis for the work of the People's Council committee headed
by Moshe Sharett, but it was substantially changed and expanded. The Sharett committee
version was submitted to a meeting of the People's Council, and various aspects of it
were criticized: it was too long, too flowery, too legalistic and apologetic concerning the
establishment of the state. Then David Ben-Gurion was entrusted with preparing the final
version, and indeed his mighty spirit and powerful language left their imprint on the final
text as we know it. The final version differs from my original draft in several important
matters, principally owing to David Ben-Gurion's way of thinking and his anticipation
of future developments. The main substantial changes to the final proclamation of the
establishment of the state, as approved by the People's Council, in comparison to my
240 The Friday That Changed Destiny
General Assembly on 16th Kislev 5708 (November 29, 1947) concerning the establishment
of a Jewish state in the Land of Israel;
And the King of Britain having ceded the Mandate over this land and abdicated
responsibility for its administration,
A nd in order to remove the curse of the Diaspora from the Jewish People, and its
dependence on foreign peoples as a minority in every place, and in order to gather together
the dispersed of the nation and to ensure [the nation] a life of labor and creativity, freedom
and independence;
We, the People's Council, representatives of the Zionist Movement and the Yishuv in
Palestine, gathered here for this auspicious occasion, hereby declare the establishment of a
free and sovereign Jewish state in the borders outlined in the decision of the UN General
Assembly, with all the rights and authority that natural law and international law bestow
upon an independent state.
The state shall be called ….
The state shall be a democratic one, with unlimited immigration for Jews; a state of
freedom, justice and peace, in the spirit of the vision of the Jewish prophets and of the father
of political Zionism, Theodor Herzl, of blessed memory; inspired with the principles of the
UN Charter.
W e declare that from this day up until the establishment of regular administrative bodies
in accordance with the Constitution to be approved by a formative meeting of the Jewish
State, the People's Council will become a Provisional State Council, with full authority
for the state's legislation and administration, and the obligation to defend its security and
protect its integrity and independence.
W e call upon the Arab citizens of the Jewish state to take part in building the state;
we extend our hand in peace and friendship to the nations of the neighboring countries,
and appeal to the nations of the world to recognize us as a society with equal rights and
obligations amongst the family of nations.
A ll residents of the state are required to maintain calm and peace, and are hereby ordered
to obey and heed the Provisional State Council and the authorities that it will establish, and
to cooperate with them.
With faith in the Rock of Israel we hereby sign our names in testimony to this declaration
of ours, here in the Land of Israel, on this day, the eve of 6th Iyar, 5708 (May 15, 1948).
(Signatures of the 37 members of the People's Council)
This draft served as the basis for the work of the People's Council committee headed
by Moshe Sharett, but it was substantially changed and expanded. The Sharett committee
version was submitted to a meeting of the People's Council, and various aspects of it
were criticized: it was too long, too flowery, too legalistic and apologetic concerning the
establishment of the state. Then David Ben-Gurion was entrusted with preparing the final
version, and indeed his mighty spirit and powerful language left their imprint on the final
text as we know it. The final version differs from my original draft in several important
matters, principally owing to David Ben-Gurion's way of thinking and his anticipation
of future developments. The main substantial changes to the final proclamation of the
establishment of the state, as approved by the People's Council, in comparison to my
240 The Friday That Changed Destiny
