[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 63 (Wednesday, May 14, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E924-E925]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  CONCERNING THE DEATH OF CHAIM HERZOG

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. LOUIS STOKES

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 13, 1997

  Mr. STOKES. Mr. Speaker, I wish to thank the gentleman from Indiana, 
Mr. Burton, for bringing this resolution to the House floor today. I 
rise in support of House Concurrent Resolution 73, and to recognize the 
passing of a statesman of the highest order, former Israeli President 
Chaim Herzog.
  Mr. Herzog was an accomplished man who led an extraordinary life and 
guided Israel to new heights on the world stage. He was a scholar, 
warrior, lawyer, diplomat, author, politician, and above all, a 
gentleman. With his passing we mourn the loss of an internationally 
recognized advocate of diplomacy and peace.
  Throughout his life, Chaim Herzog was a strong and effective leader. 
Born in Ireland in 1918, he was educated in Jerusalem and London and 
became an officer in the British Army during World War II. During the 
war, Chaim Herzog served as head of British intelligence in Germany, 
aided in the liberation of concentration camps, and landed on the 
beaches of Normandy.
  Mr. Speaker, Chaim Herzog returned to what was then Palestine as part 
of the Jewish underground, and became an officer in Israel's War of 
Independence in 1948. With the creation of Israel, Mr. Herzog became 
the first formal head of the Military Intelligence Branch in 1950, and 
his distinguished father became chief rabbi. Chaim Herzog then came to 
Washington in 1954 as Israel's defense attache, a post he held until 
his return to Israel.
  After leaving the Army in 1962, Mr. Herzog applied his experience and 
education to law and business, eventually becoming a radio commentator, 
and author. Chaim Herzog was

[[Page E925]]

a leading voice as a military commentator during the Six-Day War, the 
Yom Kippur War, and the War of Atonement, and also became a leading 
author on Israeli military history.
  These episodes led him into service as the first military governor of 
the West Bank. In 1975, Chaim Herzog became Israel's Ambassador to the 
United Nations, and in 1981 he emerged as a Labor Party member to 
Israeli's parliament, the Knesset. But it was his election as Israel's 
President in 1983 that demonstrated to the world the solid and 
impressive leadership he had displayed throughout his life.
  Chaim Herzog knew that the hardest struggle would be that for Middle 
East peace, which he nobly sought during his two-term Presidency. His 
experience as a warrior taught him that the battle of peace could be 
won, and his endeavors laid much of the groundwork for the peace 
process that continues today.
  Mr. Speaker, Chaim Herzog was a man of courage who shared a close 
friendship with the United States. He was a brilliant and learned 
individual who devoted his formidable intellect and energy to the 
advancement of Israel, and ultimately peace. It is with sadness for the 
Herzog family, to whom I extend my deepest condolences, and with 
optimism for the prospect of stability and peace in the Middle East, 
that I join my colleagues in rising to recognize the remarkable life of 
Chaim Herzog.

                          ____________________