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1948 — 2025 · Seventy-eight years

The Zionist
Time Machine

Every year in Israel's history is a station. Turn the dial and hear what was on the air — original archival photos, voices from the radio, the story, and the song of that year.

A new edition of a 2011 graduation project · See the original · עברית

The Zionist Time Machine
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1948

A State Born in Fire

On 14 May 1948 the establishment of the State of Israel was proclaimed, and the War of Independence (1948 Arab–Israeli War) broke out at once.

  1. David Ben-Gurion proclaims the establishment of the State of Israel at the Tel Aviv Museum, one day before the end of the British Mandate.
  2. The armies of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon invade the territory of the former Mandate and attack the newly established state.
  3. The Provisional Government issues the ordinance establishing the Israel Defense Forces.
  4. The first truce in the fighting, brokered by the United Nations, takes effect.
  5. Some seven hundred thousand Palestinian Arabs flee or are expelled from their homes and become refugees; in Palestinian discourse the event is called the "Nakba".
Sources