Date: 2010-04-21
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. today. not only do we celebrate the 62nd anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel. we also celebrate the strong bonds of friendship and cooperation between the United States and Israel. Our country. under the leadership of President Harry Truman. was the first country to recognize the State of Israel. And he later said. "I had faith in Israel before it was established. I have faith in it now. I believe it has a glorious future before it. not just as another sovereign nation but as the embodiment of the great ideals of our civilization." President Truman was right and we need to maintain the special relationship we have with Israel based on shared values. common strategic interests. and moral bonds of friendship. Today. we honor not only that countrys independence but the significance of what Israel stands for. It represents the centurieslong yearnings of the Jewish people for a homeland of their own in the land of their forebears. The pogroms in tsarist Russia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and the Holocaust under the Nazi regime in the 1930s and 1940s made the idea of a Jewish people having a state of their own where they could feel secure and never again be subjected to such horrors and brutality even more compelling and necessary. After many years of struggle. Israel emerged as an independent state. It gave refuge to tens of thousands of Holocaust survivors. many of whom had been languishing in temporary resettlement camps in Europe. Israel also became the home for Jews from scores of countries around the world and continues to provide a refuge to those who face antiSemitic persecution. In 62 years. Israel has transformed itself from chiefly an agricultural exporter to an international hightech superpower. and it has used its wealth and power to come to the aid of others in times of need. I want to especially commend the people of Israel. its defense forces. and the team of 250 Israeli doctors. nurses and relief workers who worked tirelessly to bring aid and comfort to the victims of the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12. 2010. Since its creation. Israel has continually confronted hostile forces that threaten its existence. and the United States must remain steadfast in ensuring the security of Israel. With the assistance of the United States. Israel was able to achieve peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan in the 1970s and 1990s. respectively. These agreements made Israel more secure and greatly lessened the chances for another ArabIsraeli war with those two countries. Despite the threats it continues to face from hostile neighbors and violent militants. the people of Israel have established a vibrant. pluralistic democracy that incorporates the freedoms cherished by all Americans. It is my sincere wish that peace negotiations between Israel and its neighbors will succeed. and that the Israeli people and all peoples of that troubled region will be able to live in a lasting peace. On the occasion of its 62nd anniversary. I wish the people of Israel continued growth and prosperity. I will continue working with my colleagues in Congress. with the Administration and with the American people to ensure that the enduring bond that unites our two peoples endures for the years and centuries to come.