ItisnoquestionthatthereismuchcontroversysurroundinghowIsraelbecamea

Jewishstateandtheactionsthatsurroundeditscreation.Israel,anindependentstate
locatedinsouthwestAsiawhichisfoundinbetweentheeasternshoresofthe
MediterraneanseaandtheheadoftheGulfofAQABA,(anarmoftheredsea).The
IsraelmostofusknowandrefertotodaywasestablishedonMay14th,1948asa
Jewishstate.ThoughsomemaynotknowhoweverthatIsraelisassociatedwiththe
earlieststageinHistoryofhumanitybythegalileeSkull.(StandardJewish
Encyclopedia1959).RecentexcavationsinJerichohaveresultedintheoldestevidence
oforganizedlife.
ThefirstknowninhabitantsofIsrael,historically,datebackto30002500BCE.
TheywereknownasCanaanites.Thebiblementionsseventribes,whichdominatedthe
countryandtheirlongstruggleforcontrolbetweenEgypt.WefirstenterintoJewish
historywiththeImmigrationofAbrahamwhosedescendantscontinuedtoconsiderit
theirhome.AccordingtoEretzyisroel.org,TheIsraelitetribesgavethecountryitsunity
andhistoricsignificance.Theconceptof"Palestine"hasinfactexistedonlyinrelationto
IsraeliteandJewishhistory.TheinvasionprocesswasslowandhardfortheIsraelites.
Theyfirstestablishedthemselvesintheplains,andgraduallywithtimetheygained
controloftheHillcountry.ThisprocessendedwiththecaptureofKingDavidinC.1000
BCE.ItseemedthattheIsraeliteswouldsoonconquerthewholecountry.
Beingsofarbackintime,resourceswerescarceandrare,agriculturewasjust
beginning.Someoftheirresourcesincludedstonetools,flintmicroliths,potterymadeof
limeandash,andtheyharvestedwildcereals(foundbyLakeGalilee).Israelislivedin
smallhuts,usuallypartiallybelowground.
FormanyyearstheLandofIsraelwasdividedintotworivalstates.Judah,a
smallerkingdomoccupiedthesouthandIsrael,alargerandmoreluxuriousareatookthe
north.InJanuary589BC,beganthesiegeofJerusalem,whichlastedaround2and
years.JudahwasconqueredbyBabyloniathuscausingJerusalemandthefirsttempleto
bedestroyed.MostJewishpeoplewereexiledtoBabylonia.
LikediscussedintheGun,GermsandSteeltheoriginalinhabitantsofSouthern
Asiahavebeenlargelyconqueredandmisplaced,likewiththeIsraelis.JaredDiamond,
theauthorofthisfamousseriesbelievedthiswastootosocietiestechnologicand
immunologic.Jaredbelievesthatsuccessofasocietyisnotbasedonintelligenceand
ingenuity.Ratheritismuchmoredependentongeography,foodproduction,germsand
immunity,thedomesticationofanimals,andthediscoveryanduseofsteel.Israelwas
justatadisadvantage.
NowfastforwardtomanymanyyearslatertotheIsraelistatewerefertotoday.
Worldwar2,themostdestructivewarinallhistory.NaziGermanyhadafascination
withproducingapurerace.Thisledtothecampaigningofeliminatingentiregroupsof
peoplethelargestbeingEuropeanJews.SixmillionJewsalonewereexecutedat
variousconcentrationcampsalsoknownasdeathcamps.Thisisknownasthe
Holocaust.ThesurvivingJewshadnohomestoreturnto,littleornofamilyremaining
andweresufferingindirepoverty.(ThemiracleofIsrael). Onecannotdenythattheacts
ofNaziGermanyplayedalargeimpactonwhatisnowknownasthestateofIsrael.

TheBalfourdeclarationbytheBritishGovernmentin1917whichwasenshrined
bytheleagueofNationsmandatedin1920statedthatNationalhomefortheJewish
peoplewouldbefoundedinPalestine,whileinfactpreservingthecivilandreligious
rightsofnonJewishcommunitiesthere.Later,On29November1947,theUnited
NationsGeneralAssemblyvoted(resolution181)topartitionPalestinebetweenaJewish
andanArabstate,withJerusalemunderaninternationalregime.TheJewsagreedbutthe
Arabsdidnot.TheycalledthedeclarationoftheStateofIsrael"alNakba",the
catastrophe.(BBCNews,2008).From19451948,therewasanincreaseinpublic
supportfortheStateofIsraelbyJewsworldwide,fromtheUnitedStatesinparticular.
OnthesamedaythattheBritishMandateoverPalestinehadexpired,which
occurredonFriday,May14,1948,theJewishPeople'sCouncilalsogatheredtogether.
TheymetattheTelAvivMuseumtodeclaretheestablishmentoftheStateofIsrael.
Thoughthereisnorecordofwhoattendedthemeeting.PeopleBegansingingHatikvah
theIsraelinationalanthemevenbeforeDavidBenGurion(TheIsraeliPrimeminister)
beganreadingthedeclarationhehadwrote.Thenewstatewasrecognizedthesameday
bytheU.SandthreedayslaterbytheUSSR.

Sources:
AllinformationaboutIsrael.(n.d.).RetrievedFebruary3,2015,from
http://www.inisrael.com/tour/backgrd.htm
1948:TheStateofIsraelisfounded.(2008,May6).RetrievedFebruary3,2015,from
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7381315.stm
EretzYisroel.Org.(n.d.).RetrievedFebruary3,2015,fromhttp://www.eretzyisroel.org/
JewishHistory.(n.d.).RetrievedFebruary3,2015,from
http://www.jewishhistory.org/themiracleofisrael/
EstablishmentofIsrael:TheDeclarationoftheEstablishmentoftheStateofIsrael.(n.d.).
RetrievedFebruary3,2015,from
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/Dec_of_Indep.html
History1Before2000BCDr.Rollinson'sCoursesandResources.(n.d.).Retrieved
February3,2015,fromhttp://www.drshirley.org/hist/hist01.html