RAISE THE FLAG: Held by a Haganah military
policeman and an unidentified Jewish official, the flag of the newly
proclaimed Jewish state of Israel bellies in the breeze before it it
hoisted over the Haifa Airport
May 14, 1948
The Dawn of Israel
By Romesh Ratnesar
"What I am trying to do is make the whole world safe for Jews," Harry
Truman wrote as he wrestled over the decision to recognize a Jewish
state in Palestine. Deeply affected by the Holocaust, Truman sympathized
with Jewish aspirations for a homeland. In November 1947 he lobbied for
the U.N. resolution that divided Palestine into Jewish and Arab states.
Britain announced it would hand authority over Palestine to the U.N. by
May 14, 1948. Secretary of State George Marshall advised against
recognition, warning Truman that Arab countries would cut off oil and
unite to destroy the Jews. On the eve of British withdrawal—to be
followed by an immediate Jewish declaration of independence—he told
Truman "the great office of the President" was at stake.
But
Truman's mind was made up. At 4 p.m., David Ben-Gurion read a 979-word
declaration of independence in front of a small audience at the Tel Aviv
Art Museum. He finished, "The state of Israel is established! The
meeting is ended." At midnight, British rule over Palestine lapsed; 11
minutes later White House spokesman Charlie Ross announced U.S.
recognition. "God put you in your mother's womb," the Chief Rabbi of
Israel later told Truman, "so you would be the instrument to bring the
rebirth of Israel." With Truman's decision, the hopes of the Jewish
people were realized, but so too were Marshall's fears. Arab opponents
of the new nation immediately declared war, prompting a bloody struggle
over Israel's existence that would rage into the next century.
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