The birthplace of the Jewish people is the Land of Israel (Eretz Yisrael). There, a significant part of the nation's long history was enacted, of which the first thousand years are recorded in the Bible; there, its cultural, religious, and national identity was formed; and there, its physical presence has been maintained through the centuries, even after the majority was forced into exile.
During the many years of dispersion, the Jewish people never severed nor forgot its bond with the Land. With the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, Jewish independence, lost 2,000 years earlier, was renewed.
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On 14 May 1948, Israel proclaimed its independence. Less than 24 hours later, the regular armies of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq invaded the country, forcing Israel to defend the sovereignty it had regained in its ancestral homeland.
Although Israel has had to defend itself many times since, it has also managed to grow from a poor developing country to a vibrant, modern state. Israeli’s achievements in high-tech, agriculture, R&D, science and medicine are legendary, as are its accomplishments in the social and cultural spheres. And despite the threats it has faced from its neighbors, Israel has remained a strong democracy, with equal rights for all its citizens, Arabs and Jews alike.
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