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The Provisional State Council officiated starting May 14th 1948, the day of the reading of Israel’s proclamation of independence, and until February 3rd 1949. It was meant to serve as both the legislative and executive authorities, until elections were held for the Constituent Assembly and the formation of a government. It consisted of 38 members, including the President of the Council, Dr. Chaim Weizmann. There were another 27 alternate members, appointed due to the War of Independence and the difficulty of its standing members to attend meetings in Tel Aviv. The war caused further delays with the planned elections for the Constituent Assembly, and a Provisional Government was formed with 13 of its members, headed by David Ben Gurion. Both authorities, the Provisional Council and Government, were established in the Proclamation of Independence.
War efforts prevented political and ideological differences from surfacing, but two issues sparked major debate among the members: The sinking of the “Altalena” ship by the IDF on June 22nd and the dissolving of the Palmach headquarters on November 7th. Both controversial subjects resulted from Ben Gurion’s demand that one centralized armed force remains under exclusive control of the State rather than diffuse forces under different political movements.
The Council, which was not an elected body, legislated ordinances and not laws. Its main ordinances included the Law and Administration Ordinance (its first legislation), the Defense Army of Israel Ordinance, establishing the IDF on the foundation of the Hagana; and the Currency Ordinance, establishing the Israeli lira as the official state currency. The Council also engaged in the approval of the state emblem, as well as the formation of its own regulations.
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