Today is July 4th, what we Americans call our Independence Day. That is true, despite the fact that the actual Declaration was issued a few days earlier than this some 246 years ago. And, as was true for Israel when it declared its independence in 1948, America’s neighbors weren’t so sure we were independent. OK. For America, it wasn’t the “neighbors” per se- it was Britain, which also controlled our neighbor to the North- Canada. But, even when Britain conceded it lost the States, it wasn’t until the completion of the War of 1812 that our battle(s) with Britain truly achieved our independence.