1948. The formation of the state of Israel
65 years ago, on May 14, 1948, the last British troops left Palestine. The Jewish National Council, chaired by David Ben-Gurion, proclaimed the creation of the state of Israel. The next day, Egypt, Transiordania, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq began the war against the new state. As a result of the war, 600 thousand Palestinian Arabs were expelled from the territory of Israel, and about 800 thousand Jews from the Arab countries.