Israel celebrates 60th anniversary

by cynthia yoo | May 7, 2008 at 09:53 pm | 187 views | add comment

Israel is celebrating the 60th anniversary of its declaration of independence, with announcements that it will compromise for peace.

A flag-raising ceremony and nationwide firework displays started 24 hours of celebrations continuing into Thursday.
Knesset speaker Dalia Itzik described Israel as "an unusual success story".

Israel declared itself an independent state on 14 May 1948, a day Palestinians remember as al-Nakba, or the Catastrophe.

Earlier, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert spoke of his hopes for lasting peace, in a speech marking Remembrance Day, when Israelis honour soldiers killed since the state was founded.

"Our conflict has been long indeed," he said.

"However, it is peace, not war that we aspire to and crave."

Israel's existence as a nation, he said, depended on its "willingness and ability" to defend itself, but there was also a "willingness to compromise".