Officer places a flag on a fallen soldier's grave. (Archive photo: IDF Spokesperson)
A total of 22,867 men and women have been killed defending the land of Israel since 1860, the year that the first Jewish settlers left the secure walls of Jerusalem to build new Jewish neighborhoods.
Since the end of the War of Independence, 2,443 people have been killed in Israel in terror attacks - 13 in the past year.
In the past year, since Remembrance Day 2010, 183 members of the security forces - police, IDF, Border Police, Israel Security Agency and other organizations - have been killed in the service of the state.
The following morning, ceremonies commence at 11:00 AM at 44 IDF military cemeteries located throughout the country following a two minute blast of the siren. There will also be a ceremony for overseas Mahal volunteers who fought and died during the War of Independence, which will take place near the Sha'ar Hagai Junction. Israel's flag, adorned with a black ribbon and memorial flame, is placed on each and every grave of those who fell in Israel's battles and are buried in military cemeteries throughout Israel. It expresses the country's respect for the fallen as well as the entire country's participation in the grief of the families.
"The ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly..."
- In memory of those who have fallen while on duty in the Israeli Foreign Service
Population of Israel
On the eve of Israel's 63rd Independence Day, the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics announced that the population of Israel numbers 7,746,000 - of them 5,837,000 Jews (75.3% of the total population) and 1,587,000 Arabs (20.5%). On the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 the total population numbered 806,000. Today, over 70% of the total Jewish population are "Sabras" - born in Israel - compared with 35% native-born in 1948.
Since Independence Day last year 178,000 babies were born, and 24,500 new immigrants arrived in Israel. The total population of Israel grew since the 62nd Independence Day by approximately 155,000 - a growth of 2.0%.
In 1948 there was only one city in Israel with more than 100,000 residents - Tel Aviv-Yafo. Today, 14 cities number more than 100,000 residents, of which six number more than 200,000 residents: Jerusalem, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Haifa, Rishon LeZiyyon, Ashdod, and Petah Tiqwa.
Israel's 63rd Independence Day celebrations will commence on Monday evening, May 9, when the state flag is raised to full mast at a national ceremony on Mount Herzl, at which twelve torches are lit. Theodor Herzl was the leader and founder of the Zionist movement and increased international recognition for the need of a Jewish state.
On May 14, 1948, the day the British Mandate expired, the new Jewish state - the State of Israel - was formally established in parts of what was known as the British Mandate for Palestine. With the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, Jewish independence, lost two thousand years earlier, was restored. Independence Day is filled with festivities and celebrations including picnics, barbecues, family gatherings and nature trips. Balconies, car windows, store fronts and more are liberally decorated with Israeli flags.
Independence Day is a celebration of the renewal of the Jewish state in the Land of Israel, the birthplace of the Jewish people. In this land, the Jewish people began to develop its distinctive religion and culture some 4,000 years ago, and here it has preserved an unbroken physical presence, for centuries as a sovereign state, at other times under foreign domination. Throughout their long history, the yearning to return to the land has been the focus of Jewish life.
Since its establishment, Israel continues to be a homeland to the thousands who make their way to Israel annually. It is home to some of the holiest religious sites of the three major religions, all which enjoy the democratic rights delineated in the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel.