欧美文化:Israel celebrates 74th Independence Day

JERUSALEM, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Israelis joined a slew of national celebrations to mark the country's 74th Independence Day.

This year's Independent Day began on Wednesday evening and will last till Thursday evening.

A ceremony was held at Jerusalem's Mount Herzl, Israel's national cemetery, on Wednesday evening, during which, Mickey Levy, the country's parliament speaker, delivered a keynote speech and called for national unity.

"I believe that we can succeed every day to choose to see the good in each other... to choose togetherness over divisions, to coexist," he said.

On Thursday morning, official celebrations started at President Isaac Herzog's official residence in Jerusalem, with the delivery of citations for the distinguished service of soldiers.

As singers and artists performed on stages across the country all through the night, hundreds of thousands of Israelis celebrated the national festival on the beaches or parks, waving flags and making barbecues.

Israel declared independence on May 14, 1948, though it marks Independence Day on different dates every year based on the Hebrew calendar.

In the Hebrew calendar, days begin in the evening, so Independence Day is observed from nightfall until the following evening of the designated day.

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, who lived in this region, became refugees in the ensuing battles. The Palestinians who stayed became Israeli citizens and make up about 20 percent of Israel's 9.5 million population.