The Untold Story Behind Israel's Declaration of Independence

A Historic Morning in Tel Aviv

On May 14, 1948, in Tel Aviv, a 31-year-old attorney named Mordechai Beham was likely perusing the newspaper. Just six weeks prior, he received a daunting task from Pinchas Rosen, who would later become Israel's inaugural justice minister. Beham was tasked with independently drafting the foundational document for a nation that had yet to be established. He modeled his work after the American Declaration of Independence and included the phrase "Rock of Israel," a deliberately vague reference to God that the secular Zionist leaders would not later remove. He submitted his draft at the end of April 1948. Despite being young and relatively unknown, his contributions were significant, yet his name would not appear on the final document. In 2019, the Israeli government had to engage in legal battles with his family to obtain his papers.

The Venue for the Ceremony

The Building on Rothschild Boulevard

The signing ceremony commenced at 4 PM on May 14, just eight hours before the British Mandate was set to expire at midnight. The location was kept confidential. Members of the People's Council, who were to sign the document, received invitations the day before with strict orders to keep the venue secret. There were concerns that the British might intervene or that Arab armies might launch an early invasion. The chosen venue was the Tel Aviv Museum on Rothschild Boulevard, now known as Independence Hall. A large portrait of Theodor Herzl, the founder of political Zionism, adorned the wall behind the podium. Herzl had passed away in 1904, and Ben-Gurion would stand beneath his image.

Contentious Debates

The Argument That Almost Sank Everything

The drafting committee had been engaged in discussions for weeks, with various lawyers and politicians involved, until the issue of borders sparked a significant disagreement. The initial draft committed Israel to the borders outlined in the United Nations partition plan of 1947. Pinchas Rosen and Bechor-Shalom Sheetrit advocated for these borders to be included, while Ben-Gurion and Aharon Zisling opposed it. "We accepted the UN Resolution," Ben-Gurion argued, "but the Arabs did not. They are preparing to wage war against us. If we defeat them and take western Galilee or land along the road to Jerusalem, those areas will become part of the state. Why should we bind ourselves to borders that the Arabs do not accept?" The provisional government voted 5 to 4 against including the borders, and the reference was omitted.

A Compromise on Faith

The Religious Compromise

The second major debate revolved around the mention of God. Religious members of the Council insisted on including a reference to God, while the secular Zionists, who made up most of the leadership, viewed this as a betrayal of the movement's humanistic roots. With the deadline fast approaching and no agreement in sight, a compromise was reached based on Beham's earlier draft, which Ben-Gurion had not seen at that time. The phrase "Tzur Yisrael," meaning "Rock of Israel," was intentionally ambiguous. Religious Jews interpreted it as a reference to God, while secular Jews saw it as a symbol of the strength of the Jewish people. This compromise allowed both sides to sign, and the phrase remains in the document today, fulfilling its intended purpose.

Last-Minute Edits

The All-Night Edit

On the night of May 13, Ben-Gurion reviewed a nearly final draft and made his own adjustments. Unlike Thomas Jefferson's meticulous approach to the American Declaration, Ben-Gurion worked quickly, driven by the urgency of the situation. His diary entry from that day reveals that his main concern was ensuring the language did not limit Israel's ability to respond to the impending conflict. He made cuts, refined the text, and incorporated a historical narrative linking the Jewish people to the Land of Israel, referencing the Bible, the Balfour Declaration, the Holocaust, and the UN vote. He worked late into the night.

A Race Against Time

The Man Stuck in Traffic

The following morning brought one final, almost humorous crisis. Ze'ev Sherf, an official from the Jewish Agency, was transporting the only complete copy of the Declaration through Tel Aviv when he found himself stuck in traffic. The official scroll had not yet been completed by the calligrapher. As the ceremony was about to commence, Sherf arrived just in time. Ben-Gurion stood, requested the audience to rise, and began reading. The speech lasted eleven minutes, followed by the audience singing "Hatikvah." Ben-Gurion concluded with the declaration, "The State of Israel is established! This meeting is adjourned!" Just eight hours later, Egyptian planes bombed the outskirts of Tel Aviv, and by the next morning, the country was at war. The document Ben-Gurion read was the culmination of efforts from numerous individuals, including a junior lawyer whose contributions were nearly forgotten, a future foreign minister, a committee of rabbis and politicians with differing opinions, and one prime minister who made last-minute edits that would change the course of history.