State of Israel (1948-present)
On May 14, 1948, the last British forces left through Haifa. The next day, in a public ceremony in Tel-Aviv, Ben-Gurion read out the Israeli Declaration of Independence, naming the new country, Israel.
Both superpower leaders, U.S. President Harry S. Truman (de facto) and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, immediately recognized the new state.
Read more about this topic: History Of Israel
Famous quotes containing the words state and/or israel:
“The man of large and conspicuous public service in civil life must be content without the Presidency. Still more, the availability of a popular man in a doubtful State will secure him the prize in a close contest against the first statesman of the country whose State is safe.”
—Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1822–1893)
“There is Israel, for us at least. What no other generation had, we have. We have Israel in spite of all the dangers, the threats and the wars, we have Israel. We can go to Jerusalem. Generations and generations could not and we can.”
—Elie Wiesel (b. 1928)