Israel declares independence from British rule in 1948.
The 1948 (or First) Arab–Israeli War was the second and final stage of the Palestine War of 1947–1949. It formally began at midnight on 14 May 1948, following the end of the British Mandate for Palestine; the Israeli Declaration of Independence had been issued earlier that day, and a military coalition of Arab states entered British Palestine on the morning of 15 May. Israel was declared an independent state in May 1948, with David Ben-Gurion, the head of the Jewish Agency, as Prime Minister. While this historic event appeared to be a victory for Jews, it also signalled the start of more conflict with the Arabs.
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