After years of attacks on Zionism, and in the wake of intensified criticism since the October 7 massacre, two human rights organizations have formally recognized the exceptional global significance of Israel’s Declaration of Independence, describing it as a foundational milestone for human dignity, civil liberties, and the right to self-determination.
At a joint ceremony in Porto on Sunday, the International Human Rights Observatory and B’nai B’rith Portugal emphasized that the declaration establishing the Jewish state transcends borders and history, serving not only as Israel’s founding document but also as a defining moment in the modern human rights movement.
Leaders of the two organizations presented Israel’s Ambassador to Portugal, Oren Rozenblat, with an official recognition highlighting the enduring global impact of Israel’s creation on Jewish communities and beyond. “We note that after two millennia of dispersion and persecution, the establishment of a sovereign Jewish state transformed the condition of the Jewish diaspora,” said Dr. Luis Andrade, president of the International Human Rights Observatory. “For the first time in centuries, Jews were no longer solely dependent on the protection or tolerance of others, but had a state capable of guaranteeing their security, representation, and dignity on the international stage.
The return of an ancient indigenous people to their ancestral homeland... served as an example for all peoples.” The recognition underscored Israel’s role as both the symbolic and cultural center of global Jewish life and a source of renewal for younger generations. It also highlighted the reciprocal relationship between Israel and the diaspora in defending Jewish human rights and communal freedoms.
The organizations further stressed that Israel’s political and security institutions provide not only physical protection, but also essential intangible support, enabling Jewish communities to live openly and maintain independent religious and communal life. Ambassador Rozenblat reflected on the enduring meaning of the founding moment: “The Declaration of Independence, an event that lasted just thirty minutes, was a moment in which hope, preserved in whispered prayers over millennia, became reality.
The document called for peace with its Arab neighbors and summoned Jews of the diaspora to return to their ancestral homeland.” Against the backdrop of rising antisemitism in Europe, speakers highlighted the continued relevance of these themes. Debora Walfrid Elijah, from the Jewish community of Golders Green in London, where four Hatzalah ambulances were recently set on fire, said: “As antisemitism re-emerges with alarming visibility... Israel’s existence stands as a strategic and moral necessity and the only sovereign guarantee that the Jewish people will never again be left defenseless.”
Miriam Assor, a Lisbon-based journalist, added: “When hostility toward Jews spreads unchecked... the State of Israel is seen as the ultimate protection and symbol of Jewish autonomy.” Both Assor and Walfrid Elijah represented B’nai B’rith Portugal at the ceremony. Yonah Yaphe, a Canadian doctor and longtime Porto resident, recalled: “The Six Day War and the Yom Kippur War mobilized the Jewish community in Canada in support of Israel. Identity, pride, and hope remain pillars of that connection.” The ceremony concluded by framing Israel’s Declaration of Independence as both a historic and living document, one that continues to underpin the rights of the Jewish people while serving as an enduring symbol of freedom and self-determination.