Happy Birthday Israel!
The State of Israel came into existence on the 5th day of the Hebrew month of Iyar, 5708 (May 14, 1948). Immediately afterwards, the surrounding Arab countries declared war, and, miraculously, the fledgling state survived. Israel went on to survive the wars of 1956, 1967, and 1973, as well as numerous wars of attrition. Here is a map of the original U.N. partition:
You can see that the area reserved for the "Jewish State" was very small indeed and was pretty much set up for failure. Jerusalem was also not contiguous to the rest of the Israeli territory. You can easily find comprehensive histories of what has happened since then with a simple web search.
On a personal note, my mother was born in Israel and her high school education was interrupted by the Israeli War for Independence. I have a lot of family there, including a grandfather who is now 105 years old.
Thanks to my fellow bloggers who support Israel and it's right to a safe and secure existence.
