With the upcoming Israel Independence Day celebrations looming, a special release from David Ben Gurion’s diary regarding his sentiments of the Declaration of Independence in May 1948 has been called “history incarnate.” The findings from his diary came in 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 states, “While the country celebrates, he is dealing with the question of the young state and is very anxious about it.” One of the reasons for that anxiousness is because he knew that the declaration would lead to war, which it did on May 15, 1948. “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.”
Happy 77th Birthday Israel! “Am Yisroel Chai!” “The people of Israel Live!”
(Source: The Times of Israel)
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