On May 14, 1948, as the British Mandate over Palestine came to an end, the Peopleās Council approved a proclamation that declared the establishment of the State of Israel. This proclamation included a closing reference to the āRock of Israel,ā one of the names of God in 2 Samuel 23:3: āThe land of Israel . . . was the birthplace of the Jewish People. Here their spiritual, religious and political identity was shaped.
