Israeli Declaration of Independence

4:00 p.m. at the Tel Aviv Museum

At exactly 4:00 p.m. on 14 May 1948, David Ben-Gurion opened a ceremony at the Tel Aviv Museum, in the former Dizengoff house, and read the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel.

The declaration named the state Israel and specified that statehood and the provisional institutions would take effect when the British Mandate terminated that night — eight hours later.

Invitees had been told to keep the time secret. The reading was nonetheless broadcast live by the new Kol Yisrael radio service, and a large crowd gathered outside.

Institutions that changed their names at midnight

The People's Council became the Provisional Council of State, and the People's Administration became the Provisional Government headed by Ben-Gurion, who also served as defense minister. Thirty-seven members of the Provisional Council were designated signatories; the Provisional Government had thirteen members.

Late handwritten changes meant the ceremonial parchment was not ready, so the signatures were placed on a scroll later joined to the text. The declaration deliberately specified neither the state's borders nor its capital.

Eleven minutes

At midnight local time the Mandate expired and Israel came into being. At 6:11 p.m. Washington time — eleven minutes later — the United States recognized the provisional government de facto.

The declaration did not end the Mandate; Britain had scheduled that termination independently. Intercommunal war had been under way since the November 1947 partition vote, and on 15 May the armies of neighboring Arab states entered it.