From CNN Interactive Writer Barbara McCann

(CNN) -- Gideon Rafael served as a diplomat for Israel for 30 years in a career that began even before the establishment of the Jewish state.

As a junior member of the Jewish delegation to the U.N. General Assembly in 1947, he was responsible for "keeping score" as 58 member nations voted on whether to partition British-controlled Palestine into Jewish and Arab states.

He became one of the first three employees at the Israeli Foreign Ministry, grappling with problems as basic as how to pay for the telegrams declaring statehood.

During his distinguished career, Rafael served in a wide variety of posts, including director-general of the Foreign Ministry, and ambassador to Britain. Following his retirement in 1978, he wrote his memoir, "Destination Peace: Three Decades of Israeli Foreign Policy."

Rafael, now 85, spoke recently with CNN Interactive about his memories of the birth of Israel.

Keeping score at the U.N.

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Q:   What was the mood during the vote in the U.N. in November 1947 on whether to partition Palestine to create a Jewish state?

A:   It was of course the coming of the Messianic time, that Israel was restored with ancient sovereignty, in its ancient country, so of course it was a feeling of great exhilaration when the vote was taken. On other hand we knew it would be very difficult to implement it, since the Arab side opposed the division, the partition of the mandatory country Palestine, which the British had governed since the end of World War I.

Q:   Did you worry that it wouldn't work out?

A:   There is no Jew who doesn't worry every time, all the time.

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Q:   The U.N. vote in November 1947 did not actually establish the nation of Israel. So what was its significance?

A:   It was very significant, it was the recognition of Israel's birth. The United Nations would not have established Israel, because it was not in a position to defend Israel, but at least we got our birth certificate from the United Nations.

Q:   Independence came in May 1948. What were you doing then?

A:   (David) Ben-Gurion (Israel's founder and first prime minister) proclaimed in a special assembly (in Tel Aviv) the independence of Israel. I was there in my capacity as assistant of Mr. Moshe Sharett (head of the Jewish delegation to the U.N.), and immediately after the end of the ceremony on the 14th of May 1948, I was asked by Mr. Sharett to come and open with him the Israeli Foreign Ministry. This was an exaggerated term. We were all together, three people: the future secretary general, Mr. Sharrett; a secretary, and myself. And we opened at eight o'clock in the evening, the Foreign Ministry. It was my first assignment in the Israeli state.

First step: money for the mail

Q:   What did you do first?

A:   We sent out telegrams to the states of the world, an announcement of the rebirth of the state of Israel. This was quite an undertaking, because first of all we had to formulate the wording of addressing the countries, and we had to find out the capitals and the names. There were two people who typed them out, the secretary and Mr. Sharett. I had to deal with all office amenities, and in Israeli terms it means mainly to supply the tea to the office workers. I was a tea boy, I was a telephone operator, I was collecting the telegrams.

I was trying to send them off through the regular, still British-run post office. But we had no budget whatsoever. So our driver, when we sent him with that batch of 50 telegrams, came back because the post office did not accept them without payment, because we had not been endowed with a budget. So I had to find out a way to convince a former official of the former British government to recognize the state of Israel and to give us credit. It was quite an operation and I think it was my first diplomatic success to convince him.

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Q:   What was it like to be part of a group trying to build a nation?

A:   The feeling was very tense, because we expected an Arab onslaught, military action. And as a matter of fact the first recognition we received was a salute from Egyptian air force which bombed a nearby power station, and that was the first recognition that the state of Israel existed. That kind of warfare ended only with the signing of the peace treaty between Mr. Sadat and Mr. Begin in 1978.

Since then, we've had some progress with our neighbors. At the time, when we were in a state of great exhilaration about the rebirth of Jewish independence, nobody would have expected that that conflict between Israel and the Arab states would last 50 years.

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Q:   Was Israel really a sanctuary for Jews right from the start?

A:   That's right. While the fighting was going on against us, six Arab armies entered the territory of Israel and tried to end Israel. At that time, thousands and tens of thousands of Jews streamed into Israel, mainly survivors of the Holocaust. Within its first two years, Israel accepted more than a million and a half newcomers. When the state was proclaimed only 650,000 Jews were living in the territory. Now there are nearly 5 million.

Israel today and in the future

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Q:   How is the national mood, the sense of nationhood, different now from when Israel was first established?

A:   Nothing brought Israel more together as a nation than the outside hostility, because we had to defend ourselves, our life and limb. This created a very strong bond of nationhood among (Israelis).

The problem now is really forming the nation in the shape of the modern world. Here there are differences of culture, background, and of conceptual attitudes. There is a difference between various religious attitudes and positions, there are political differences, and we will have to reconcile them. This is a great effort in Israel now. Since the outside pressure on Israel is relaxed, there is more inside pressure created by the problems inside the state. But I am certain that in the course of time, and with good leadership, that Israel will prevail.

Q:   What do you think Israel and the Middle East will be like at the 100th anniversary of Israel?

A:   I don't know. But I think the future will be peace. The developments which have occurred in the Middle East all point to one thing, that all sides have to work for accommodation. The conflict may last another 20-30 years; they are just trying to terminate the Irish-English conflict, which has lasted 800 years. I have only optimistic hopes that within the next 50 years we will dwell in peace.

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