Ben-Gurion’s Diary from May 14, 1948: A Nation is Born
Ben-Gurion’s Diary from May 14, 1948: A Nation is Born
April 30, 2025
Israel Studies, Culture & Jewish Thought
A copy of David Ben-Gurion’s diary from May 14, 1948 (Ben-Gurion Archives)
The Times of Israel –Document found in archives reveals how first Prime Minister worried over Arab invasion, writing on May 14, 1948, that nascent state’s fate was ‘in the hands of the security forces’
Two images of the handwritten diary of David Ben-Gurion from the evening of May 14, 1948 — the day the State of Israel’s establishment was proclaimed — were released Monday ahead of Israel’s Independence Day, revealing the first prime minister’s anxieties as the newly born country headed to war against invading Arab neighbors.
“At 4 P.M., Jewish independence was declared and the state was founded. Its fate is in the hands of the security forces,” he wrote.
He described the difficult situation on the ground as the armies of the Arab League invaded: “Harsh news about armored columns of the Legion… they bombed Tel Aviv last night.”
In an earlier entry, he wrote, “We approved the text of the Declaration of Independence. Independence declared at 4 P.M. Across the land, there is joy and profound happiness, and again I mourn among the joyful, as on November 29” — the date of the 1947 UN General Assembly decision approving the partition of Mandatory Palestine. Ben-Gurion appeared to be referencing his fear that the war could lead to disaster.
The copy of the diary was found in the Ben-Gurion Archives as part of a collaboration between the Ben-Gurion Heritage Institute and the Ben-Gurion Institute for the Study of Israel and Zionism at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
Eitan Donitz, CEO of the Ben-Gurion Heritage Institute, called the findings “history incarnate.”
Donitz said the diary reveals the dilemmas faced by the first prime minister, the “deep responsibility Ben-Gurion felt, and the leadership that chose not to celebrate, but to fight for the existence of the state.”
Read more on The Times of Israel>>
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