DAVID BEN-GURION
THE FIRST PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL WHO FOUNDED THE NEW COUNTRY’S ARMED FORCES 1886-1973 ISRAEL
Born in Poland, which was the part of the Russian Empire, Ben-gurion’s father was an ardent Zionist. As a teenager, Ben-gurion led his own Zionist group, and immigrated to Palestine in 1906. During his early years in Palestine, he was involved in the creation of the first agricultural workers commune (which evolved into the ‘kibbutz’) and established a Jewish self-defence group called ‘Hashomer’ (‘The Watchmen’).
During WWI, Ben-gurion was deported by the Ottoman Empire and campaigned for Zionism in the United States. He then fought for the British Army in Palestine as part of the newly formed Jewish Legion. Rising through the ranks of Jewish Palestinian politics during the interwar years, Ben-gurion was elected as chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel in 1935.
Ben-gurion was crucial in unifying various Jewish groups to advocate for a Jewish state in Palestine to the UN after WWII. When Israel was founded in 1948, he became ‘Chairman of the Provisional State Council’ (effectively prime minister), and organised all
Jewish militias into the new Israel Defence Forces (IDF). The creation of the IDF was important for the progress of the Arab-israeli War, with Bengurion overseeing military operations. His firm leadership even extended to clamping down on the Jewish militia group Irgun, who refused to hand over their weapons to the IDF. Irgun and
IDF troops were subsequently killed in a clash that became known as the ‘Altalena Affair’, but the military authority of Ben-gurion and the IDF was confirmed.
Under Ben-gurion’s control, IDF personnel numbers increased from 35,000 troops in May 1948 to 96,441 by December. A large part of Israeli success against the Arab forces ranged against them was epitomised in Bengurion’s ruthless ambition to extend the new state’s territory in Palestine. On 7 February 1948, he said at a
Mapai Party Council meeting, “The war will give us the land. The concepts of ‘ours’ and ‘not ours’ are peace concepts only and in war they lose their whole meaning.”
THE FIRST PRESIDENT OF ISRAEL WHOSE BIOCHEMISTRY WORK GREATLY ASSISTED THE ALLIES AND ZIONISM DURING WWI 1874-1952 ISRAEL
Born in a region of the Russian Empire that is now part of Belarus, Weizmann trained as a biochemist, and was involved in Zionist activities across Europe. He became a British citizen in 1910, and worked as a lecturer at the University of Manchester. The developer of synthetic acetone, Weizmann’s invention was used in the manufacture of cordite explosives during WWI. Acetone was crucial to the Allied war effort, and Weizmann used his respect from the British Government to advance the Zionist cause.
Well-connected with British politicians, Weizmann’s efforts culminated in the Balfour Declaration for a Jewish state in 1917 that initially resulted in the British Mandate of Palestine. While serving as the president of the World Zionist Organisation, Weizmann helped to establish the British
Army’s Jewish Brigade during WWII. He was instrumental in establishing the UN Partition Plan for Palestine in 1947, and became Israel’s first president on 17 February 1949. He remained in office until his death in 1952.