Seventy years later, Israel not only has survived but thrived.
In just a few weeks, Israel will celebrate its seventieth anniversary, remembering the momentous events of May 14, 1948, when David Ben Gurion announced the establishment of the Jewish state and Israel took its place among the nations.
Israel’s Deputy Minister of Public Diplomacy and historian Michael Oren explained to CBN News the precarious nature of the state at that time.
“Then there were 600,000 people here, about the size, half the size of a mid-sized American city and with basically handguns fighting six Arab armies that came within 25 miles of Tel Aviv. It’s hard to imagine, [they] surrounded Jerusalem, not far from where we are sitting. [Israel had] no economy, no allies [and] a population that was still languishing in displaced persons camps in Europe after the Holocaust. I mean, think about that.”
Seventy years later, he says, Israel not only has survived but thrived.
“Our economy has one of the most highest growth rates in the world. We have one of the most powerful armies in the world; we’re a world leader in technology and Israel is regularly listed as one of the seventh or eighth most powerful countries in the world.”
“In historical perspective I think that Israel’s situation is nothing short of miraculous.”
