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Israel's 50th birthday: parties and protests
April 30, 1998
Barbecues were popular as Israelis enjoyed perfect weather
Web posted at: 9:06 a.m. EDT (1306 GMT)In this story:
- Gore to see Arafat during visit
- Israeli traditions grapple with Jewish beliefs
- Related stories and sites
JERUSALEM (CNN) -- They danced in the streets, wrapped themselves in flags and marveled at what they had achieved. For Israel's people, Thursday marked a festive day of celebrations for 50 tumultuous years of statehood.
A carnival atmosphere at the opening of festivities on Wednesday night lasted into the early morning in city streets, packed with thousands of revelers.
Into the day, families carrying barbecue grills, tents and bags of food made their way to parks for a day of togetherness.
Israel, whose troops have been actively engaged every decade of its existence, used the anniversary to show off its military muscle.
Fighter jets thundered overhead in formation, and the navy staged an offshore review. Gunboats cut through the blue water while thousands watched from the beaches.
An air force flyover marks Israel's birth in battle At a reception for military commanders and distinguished soldiers, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was far from certain 50 years ago that Israel would survive. (
94K/7 sec. AIFF or WAV sound)
Celebrations were to be capped on Thursday night with a glitzy song-and-dance extravaganza at a Jerusalem stadium.
Gore to see Arafat during visit
Vice President Al Gore, the guest of honor, was the highest-ranking international dignitary in attendance.
Some Israelis are upset he will also be seeing Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat this weekend about the stalled peace process.
For the Palestinians, the anniversary was no celebration. It was a day of mourning.
Palestinians call Israel's creation "al naqba" -- the catastrophe -- and say the creation of the Jewish state resulted in the taking of their land.
Former Prime Minister Shimon Peres gauges the mood of the Israeli people as they celebrate the anniversary amid stalled peace talks with the Palestinians.
VXtreme streaming video (5:00)
Despite deadlocked Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, the creation of a Palestinian state is "unavoidable," former Prime Minister Shimon Peres told CNN on Thursday.
Israeli traditions grapple with Jewish beliefs
Fault lines within Israeli society also were on clear display, particularly the rifts between religious and secular Jews and the political left and right.
In the Jerusalem neighborhood of Mea Shearim, dozens of ultra-Orthodox Jews tore Israeli flags from cars driving through the area.
Many ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel do not recognize the 50th anniversary because they believe the creation of a Jewish state is a blasphemy before the coming of the Messiah.
Israelis celebrated with fireworks Wednesday night in Jerusalem Nationalist Jewish settlers and Israeli peace activists also appeared headed toward an Independence Day confrontation.
Settlers were gathering to lay a cornerstone at the site of a controversial planned Jewish neighborhood in Jerusalem, which the Palestinians want as the capital of their future state.
The Israeli group Peace Now held a counter-demonstration, putting up a mile-long protest banner at the site -- known in Arabic as Jabal Abu Ghneim and in Hebrew as Har Homa.
Groundbreaking there more than a year ago brought peace talks to a screeching halt.
While Israel's celebration of its 50th birthday began on Wednesday night by the Jewish calendar, the anniversary falls on May 14 by the Western one.
Jerusalem Bureau Chief Walter Rodgers and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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