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The Israeli Independence Day

Sunday, 13 May 2018 - 11:00 am (CET/MEZ) Berlin | Author/Destination: Levant / Levante
Category/Kategorie: General Reading Time:  4 minutes

🔊 Listen to this Post The Israeli Declaration of Independence took place on May 14, 1948 or on 5 Iyar 5708, according to the Hebrew calendar, in the Independence Hall of the Israeli de jure capital city Tel Aviv, mostly as a direct result of the Holocaust and the Évian Conference. On the same day, the British Mandatory Palestine ended. The Independence Day (Hebrew “Jom haAtzma’ut” for “Day of Independence”) was introduced in the following year 1949 as a reminder of the proclamation of the state by David Ben-Gurion.

By determining the Independence Day based on the Jewish calendar, the holiday can vary within a period of several weeks in Israel. The holiday is scheduled one to two days before or after the Jewish Shabbat to not get in conflict with religious Jews.

In Israel, the Independence Day is a happy and cheerful holiday, although the attempt of political appropriation by the Likud is seen critically, whereas in the region the Independence Day is seen with mixed feelings. Occasional expressions of solidarity take place in the West and the usual political Sunday speeches are held, which are expected to be more restrained this year due to the recent developments in the region.

On May 13, one day before Independence Day, a commemoration day is celebrated for the fallen Israeli soldiers and victims of terrorism. On the day after Independence Day, May 15, the Palestinian Nakba Day takes place (Haaretz, 1 October 2011: Knesset Legal Adviser: ‘Nakba Law’ Is Constitutional, Haaretz, 5 January 2012: High Court Rejects Petition Against Israel’s Controversial ‘Nakba Law’). On 15 November 1988, Palestine declared its independence and at the same time recognized the State of Israel as such. The State of Palestine, like Israel, is recognized by the majority of the international community, but its recognition by the West and Israel has been denied so far. This year, Israeli Independence Day is expected to be more turbulent than in previous years, partly because on that day the US Consulate General in West Jerusalem will be upgraded to the Provisional US Embassy (The Guardian, 13 May 2018: The UK must act to counter Trump’s destructive Jerusalem decision, The Washington Post,13 May 2018: Jerusalem, new home of US Embassy, at core of Mideast strife, New York Times, 12 May 2018: U.S. Ambassador Will Not Work Full Time in New Jerusalem Embassy, Depopulated Palestinian locations in Israel and Wikipedia Nationality Bill).

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