Independence Day

At 78, is Israel really an independent state? - opinion

This Passover was different from others because we spent too much of it in bomb shelters, pondering whether during such confinement we were truly free.

COVID WAS the only time when Israel acted as though it were a small island with no neighbors. Pictured: Prepping a vaccine
ISRAELI PRIME Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara Netanyahu attend a welcoming ceremony for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv on February 25, 2026.

Prime Minister's wife should light Independence Day torch, Knesset member declares

US President Donald Trump gestures as he addresses House Republicans at their annual issues conference retreat, at the Kennedy Center, renamed the Trump-Kennedy Center by the Trump-appointed board of directors, in Washington, DC, US, January 6, 2026.

'Historic decision': Kisch invites Trump to attend Israel Prize ceremony on Independence Day

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump speaks to reporters over the North Atlantic as he returns to Washington from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, aboard Air Force One, US, January 22, 2026.

Trump plans world’s biggest arch to commemorate 250 years since US independence - report


Celebrating 77 with a $77 discount: Arkia's Independence Day offer for international flights

Arkia offers discounts on flights, vacation packages, and tours abroad until October 2025, including summer and Tishrei holidays, for Israel’s 77th Independence Day. Air Haifa offers 30% off flights.

 Arkia airplane

A home for those who defend the home: This is the country’s independence gift to reservists

To mark Israel’s 77th Independence Day, the Israel Land Authority offers 900 plots to IDF reservists and disabled veterans under special terms. Find out if you're eligible and how to apply.


Dana International's torch-bearing omitted from Channel 14 broadcast, name not mentioned on website

A openly transgender singer, the 1998 Eurovision singer was among the participants for Israel's Independence Day torch-lighting ceremony.

 An Illustration of channel 14, photo taken on June 2, 2024

Israel at 77: Choosing life, shaping the future - opinion

Am Yisrael Chai is not a slogan but an eternal covenant. A people lives. A nation thrives. A dream, battered but unbroken, endures.

 FOREIGN MINISTER Gideon Sa’ar meets with UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in Abu Dhabi earlier this year. Imagine what could be accomplished if Israelis, Emiratis, Bahrainis, Moroccans, Sudanese, and others stood together, not just in commerce but in conscience, says the wr

Your Investments: Is it still possible to achieve financial independence?

"The rich invest their money and spend what is left; the poor spend their money and invest what is left." – Jim Rohn

 A WOMAN withdraws money from a Bank Hapoalim ATM in Tel Aviv in March.

Remembrance Day, Independence Day: Memory of the past and building the dream of the future

As we move this week from Remembrance Day – when we risk drowning in sorrow – to Independence Day – when we soar in celebration – we carry both the tears and the triumphs with us.

 ‘VISION AND Tranquility,’ Eden Wolfgur, from Beit Hillel’s illustrated Grace After Meals booklet ‘For the Good and Gracious Land.’

US ambassador Huckabee honored at United Hatzalah Independence Day event in Jerusalem

Huckabee emphasized Israel’s right to “exist in safety and freedom,” and affirmed Jerusalem as the “indisputable, indivisible capital of the Jewish State.”

 US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee receives the United Hatzalah Lifesaving Award, at the Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem, May 1, 2025.

Editor's Notes: They broke me. That’s when I knew I’d never leave Israel

Golda Meir said it best: “We Jews have a secret weapon in our struggle with the Arabs – we have no place to go.”

 AT MY lowest point, I found clarity: Israel is my choice – again and again.

77 years later, saving the country is still the central mission - opinion

At a time when questions of national identity dominate the discourse, Israel’s experiment of uniting Jews from around the world should be a source of inspiration.

 PROTESTERS DEMONSTRATE near the Knesset against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government. Vast sections of the population are convinced that decisions are being made for political survival at the cost of human lives, the writer maintains.

PM Netanyahu’s bodyguards wear masks at ceremonies fearing arrests abroad

At various Independence Day ceremonies, close-up shots of soldiers were also avoided due to similar concerns.

 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security guards with masks on their faces, May 1, 2025.