BBC: Celebrations are taking place across Israel to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the state.
Fireworks, concerts and an aerial display were among the events laid on, while Israeli families prepared picnics and barbecues for the national holiday.
Israel declared itself an independent state on 14 May 1948, three years after the end of World War II and the death of six million Jews in the Holocaust.
But Palestinians know the foundation day as al-Nakba, or "the Catastrophe".
They were holding solemn marches in the West Bank, meant to symbolise the hope of Palestinian refugees to return to villages in what is now Israel.
The Israeli festivities began amid tight security at sunset on Wednesday at Jerusalem's Mount Herzl memorial, named after the founder of modern Zionism.
Soldiers raised the Israeli flag from half to full mast as Memorial Day - when Israelis honour soldiers killed since the state was founded - gave way to anniversary celebrations. Israel Marks Its 60th Anniversary >>>
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)
