 Following the devastation of Europe's Jewish population during the Nazi Holocaust and coupled with the rise in Zionism since the 19th century, the United Nations General Assembly recommended the establishment of a Jewish state in the Middle Eastern province of Palestine.Following the declaration of its independence on 14 May 1948, the Arab nations of Egypt, Syria, Jordan, and Iraq began to invade Palestine in an attempt to eradicate the newly formed state of Israel.On 26 May 1948, the Israeli Defense Force, or IDF, was established as Israel's official military.