Israeli Independence Declared; Arab-Israeli War and Palestinian Nakba

On May 14, 1948, David Ben-Gurion proclaimed the State of Israel in Tel Aviv hours before the British Mandate expired. The United States and Soviet Union recognized the new state. Armies from Egypt, Transjordan, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon invaded the following day. Israel controlled approximately 78% of Mandatory Palestine when armistice agreements ended fighting in 1949. During the conflict, approximately 700,000-750,000 Palestinian Arabs fled or were expelled from their homes, and 400-600 villages were destroyed.