Joy and festivities across Israel started with a traditional torch-lighting ceremony and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's opening speech in Jerusalem, marking the Jewish state's 70th Independence Day.
“All the ancient peoples who were exiled from their lands vanished and scattered all over the place. Only we, the Jewish people, who were like a leaf blown away in the storm of exile, refused to disappear and remained faithful to Zion. In the year 70 AD the menorah went out, but today on Israel’s 70th anniversary, the menorah is our country’s symbol and its light is stronger than ever,” he said, promising not to let anyone "extinguish" Israel's "light."
Sputnik has looked through the milestones of Israel's history over seventy years.