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Israel marks 63rd Independence Day
The State of Israel began its 63rd anniversary celebrations on Monday evening with a torch-lighting ceremony on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem. Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin lit the first beacon this year, before giving an address in which he described Israel as a ‘Jewish and democratic state, which shines proudly in the heart of an oppressive and cruel Middle East.’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also gave a televised statement in honour of the occasion. Festivities and gatherings will continue in Israel throughout the course of the day. Many of the founding figures and most prominent leaders of the Zionist movement and of Israel are buried on Mount Herzl – including the founder of the modern Zionist movement, Binyamin Ze’ev Herzl, murdered former-prime minister Yitzhak Rabin and pre-state Zionist leader Ze’ev Jabotinsky. The area is also the site of Jerusalem’s main military cemetery.
US President Barack Obama congratulated the State of Israel and offered his “best wishes”. In a statement, Obama reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to Israel’s security, recalling that the US was the first nation in the world to recognise Israel’s Declaration of Independence on 14 May 1948. Obama also mentioned his administrations commitment to work with Israel and other governments in the Middle East to achieve ‘peace, security and dignity for the people of Israel and all the people of the region.’
On Israel’s 63rd anniversary, its population stands at 7,746,000, according to Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics. Of these, 5, 837,000 (75.3%) are Jewish and 1,587,000 ((20.5%) are Arab. The remaining 4.2% are non-Jewish immigrants and their children. Over 70% of the Jewish population are native born Israelis. More than half of these are second-generation Israeli citizens. 24,500 new immigrants arrived in Israel over the course of the last year, while 12,000 people left the country.