Israel, 1948

The starting point

From the 1920s, Jewish communities in British-ruled Palestine (the Yishuv) built their own institutions under British rule (Yishuv).

Built before independence

• Elected assembly: from 19 April 1920, an Assembly of Representatives met once a year. It elected the executive and voted its budgets.
• Executive (Va'ad Leumi): ran education, local government, welfare and health services.
• Diaspora body: the Jewish Agency (1929 to 1948) handled immigration and outside relations.
• Money: the community relied on money from Jews abroad, including large donors.
• Universities: Hebrew high schools and the Technion opened before the First World War.

Day one

• Shadow cabinet first: on 12 April 1948, a month early, a People's Administration of 13 ministers was formed, with Finance, Foreign Affairs, Justice, Health, Labour, Transport and Welfare among its posts (Provisional government).
• Switch-over: on 14 May 1948 it became the provisional government, and the People's Council became the provisional parliament.
• Justice: the first law kept existing law in force unless changed, which avoided a legal vacuum (NYU GlobaLex).
• One army: an order of 28 May 1948 created one national army and banned all other armed groups. Other groups were merged or disbanded by November 1948 (Jewish Virtual Library).

What was new

Nothing had to be invented on day one. Ministries, budgets and staff already existed, so the new state started with a working government.

The result

Elections followed in January 1949 and the first elected cabinet in March 1949.

What critics record

The war of 1948 drove about 700,000 Palestinian Arabs from their homes. Palestinians call it the Nakba (catastrophe). Most were never allowed to return, and the dispute is unresolved today (1948 Palestinian expulsion and flight).

What it shows for Somalia

A people abroad can help build working institutions before they are needed. Somalis abroad and at home are one people, and they can build together in the same way.