On 14 May 1948, the state of Israel was proclaimed.
Tears and applause met the declaration, witnessed by 200 dignitaries, but fighting intensified in the days that followed.
In 2010, Arieh Handler and Zipporah Porath spoke to Lucy Williamson about that day and its fallout.
Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.
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(Photo: Young Jewish people celebrate the new state. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)