Mo’etzet Ha’Am [“National Council.”]

The complete minutes of the National Council, the political body that declared the creation of the independent State of Israel; precursor body to the Knesset. Before the formal Declaration of Independence of the State of Israel on May 14th, 1948, a Provisional State Council was established to prepare the groundwork for the momentous events. Mo’etzet Ha’Am (The National Council), formally came into existence at its first meeting on May 4th. The group officially comprised 37 delegate members from all across the Jewish political spectrum of the Yishuv, although twelve of those members were stranded in Jerusalem, unable to attend. The council met twice ten days later on May 14th, Independence Day itself, when two sessions were held. At the first, the text was agreed upon with only minor changes and approved unanimously. The final meeting was held in the auditorium of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art at 4:30pm, at which time the State of Israel was officially declared. Though it had only been in existence for ten days, Moetzet Ha’Am occupies a unique place in the annals of Israeli history. Following the Declaration, the body was renamed the Provisional State Council, which in turn was renamed the Knesset on February 3rd, 1949.