the national institutions building is located in downtown jerusalem, on king george street. the structure was built for the national zionist institutions—the jewish agency and the world zionist organization, amongst others—and became a symbol of the jewish state prior to israel's establishment. it was targeted by a car bomb on march 11, 1948, in one of the worst attacks of the 1948 war of independence up to that time. the establishment of the state of israel was declared on the building's balcony by members of the people's assembly who were besieged in jerusalem and thus unable to reach the declaration in tel aviv. the building also hosted the first sessions of the knesset, and israel's first president, chaim weizmann was inaugurated in its great hall.