The leaders of Israel decided to declare their independence as a country on the 14th of May. They didn’t know exactly where the borders should be and they hadn’t even picked a name for the country. The leaders hadn’t even finished writing their Declaration of Independence. Worst of all, everyone knew that right after they made the announcement, Israel would go to war.
David Ben Gurion, the first Prime Minister of Israel, lead the independence ceremony with 200 of the nation’s leaders present. They met at a museum in Tel Aviv. The event was supposed to be top secret because they did not want Israel’s enemies to bomb the building during the ceremony. But the good news spread fast and people were outside the museum waving flags, dancing and cheering.
The next day, six of Israel’s neighboring Arab countries invaded. These Arab armies had more soldiers and better weapons than Israel. The women and teenagers in Israel had to join the men in fighting. Everyone outside of Israel thought it was impossible for one small new state to beat back so many invading armies. They feared all the Jews in Israel would be killed.
Instead, the Israeli army defeated every invading country. Not only did they defeat all their enemies, Israel won even more land. It was a miracle! God protected his nation and helped her be victorious. God showed that He still protects and cares for His people and His land.
