[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 50 (Wednesday, April 29, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3798-S3799]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDING OF ISRAEL

  Mr. COATS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of House Joint Resolution 102, 
which is at the desk.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
  The bill clerk read as follows:

       A joint resolution (H. J. Res. 102) expressing the sense of 
     the Congress on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the 
     founding of the modern State of Israel and reaffirming the 
     bonds of friendship and cooperation between the U.S. and 
     Israel.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the immediate 
consideration of the joint resolution?
  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, I would like to recount a little history--a 
history I'm sure many are familiar with. One hundred years ago last 
August, the first World Zionist Congress convened in the Swiss city of 
Basel. Although the gathering attracted little attention at the time, 
what transpired then would forever change the course of Jewish history, 
and indeed world history.
  What later came to be known as the Basel Program stated quite simply 
that the aim of Zionism was ``To create for the Jewish people a home in 
Palestine secured by public law.''
  With that simple proposition, the delegates at the first Congress 
formally set into motion the Jewish national liberation movement. It 
would mean the fulfillment of a spiritual yearning that had remained 
unrealized for over two millennia.
  At the conclusion of the conference, Theodor Herzl recorded a 
prescient entry in his diary:

       In Basel, I founded the Jewish state. If I were to say this 
     aloud I would meet with laughter; but in another five years, 
     and certainly in another fifty years, everyone will be 
     convinced of this.

  From the distance of a hundred years, I can say we are convinced.
  Of course, it took fifty years of sacrifice--and a world shamed by 
the Holocaust--before Herzl's dream of a Jewish homeland became a 
reality. But it happened, and tomorrow we celebrate fifty years of 
Israeli independence.
  In that short span of time, Israel has become the beacon of hope for 
Jews the world over. It has successfully absorbed wave after wave of 
immigrants from every corner of the globe. It has built a thriving 
economy larger than the economies of all its immediate neighbors 
combined. It is the sole democracy in a region where dictatorships and 
monarchies are the norm. It excels in science, technology, and culture 
far out of proportion to its small population.
  In short, the Jewish people have, after long tribulation, taken their 
rightful place among nations. And Israel has become a symbol to all of 
us.
  The very fact that Israel exists means that Jews will never again be 
at someone else's mercy. They are masters of their destiny. Israel is 
the tangible expression of the solemn vow we made after the Holocaust--
``Never Again.''
  Never again will Jews be powerless. Never again will they have to 
rely upon the mercy and goodwill of an overlord. Never again will they 
have to watch helplessly as nearly half of their people is 
exterminated. Put simply, Israel symbolizes the restoration of Jewish 
independence and dignity.
  Nearly a quarter century ago as a junior Senator on the Foreign 
Relations Committee, in my first official trip overseas, I made a 
formative journey to Israel. It was just after the Yom Kippur war--a 
war that vividly brought home Israel's vulnerability as well as the 
absolute necessity of an intimate U.S.-Israel relationship.
  The lessons I learned on that journey have remained with me ever 
since. In the past twenty-five years, I have worked with six different 
Israeli Prime Ministers and six different American Presidents. I have 
been twice in the majority party in the Senate and I am now in the 
minority for the second time.
  But through it all, the United States relationship with Israel has 
remained a constant feature. It transcends individual leaders and 
political parties. It is not subject to the vagaries of international 
events. The bond between Israel and the United States is unbreakable.
  This strategic and moral partnership between Israel and the United 
States

[[Page S3799]]

has made possible the peace agreements between Israel and three former 
adversaries.
  As Israel's enemies have seen that they cannot drive a wedge between 
our two countries, so they have come to recognize slowly but surely 
that Israel is here to stay.
  I know that I speak for many of my colleagues when I say that the 
American commitment to Israel over the next 50 years will be just as 
reliable as it has been in Israel's first 50 years.
  I urge my colleagues to support this joint resolution and I yield the 
floor.
  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I am very pleased to join with Senator 
Lott in sponsoring this resolution honoring the 50th anniversary of 
Israel's founding.
  I had the privilege of speaking last week at the U.S. Holocaust 
Memorial Founders Reunion in Washington. In my remarks, I quoted from 
one of the sages of the Torah, who told us more than 200 years ago that 
God could have created plants that would grow into loaves of bread. 
Instead, He created wheat for us to grow and mill and transform into 
bread.
  Why?
  Because He wanted us to be able to take part in the miracle of 
creation.
  And, just as the founders of the Holocaust Museum can take pride in 
their contribution to the creation of that memorial, so too can 
Israelis take great pride in their contributions to the creation of the 
modern State of Israel.
  In my remarks to the Holocaust Museum founders, I also cited Elie 
Wiesel's view that: ``Survivors are understood by survivors only. They 
speak in code. All outsiders could do was come close to the gates.''
  That is what the Holocaust Memorial Museum allows us to do: to come 
close to the gates; to see; to grieve; and, finally, to learn, so that 
we can pass the knowledge on, from generation to generation, about what 
can happen when intolerance and hatred are allowed to spread unchecked.
  One of the greatest benefits of the Holocaust Museum is that it helps 
its millions of visitors understand why there must be an Israel. The 
Holocaust Museum is evidence of the fact that out of the unspeakable 
horror of the Holocaust has come the miracle of the creation of the 
State of Israel to provide a homeland for Jews around the world. Out of 
this tragedy has come the modern-day State of Israel, the 20th century 
version of the 3,000-year old historic Kingdom of Israel.
  We are introducing this resolution today to celebrate and commemorate 
the 50th anniversary of Israel's founding and to offer the Senate's 
congratulations on reaching this important landmark.
  Mr. President, fifty years is not considered long relative to the 
lifespan of an England, a China or an India. In the case of Israel, 
however, it is an eternity when we factor in the obstacles it has faced 
during these fifty years.
  Throughout its existence, Israel has faced an array of enemies 
dedicated to its destruction. It has been forced to fight six wars, 
battle against countless terrorist acts, survive economically in the 
face of widespread economic boycotts, and make its way in the world 
despite international criticism against it.
  This resolution commemorates not only Israel's ability to survive 
these odds, but also its ability to thrive and prosper in the face of 
these constraints and to maintain its adherence to democracy and the 
rule of law. Israel today is a dynamic, vibrant society committed to 
the same values and principles as the United States.
  Another important reason we are offering this resolution is to 
reiterate the strength of the partnership between the U.S. and Israel--
a partnership based on shared values, interests and goals. Israel is a 
trusted ally and an important strategic partner.
  I would like to make the resolution's four resolved clauses part of 
my statement offering my best wishes to Israel on this important 
occasion.
  The measure resolves that the United States recognizes the historic 
significance of the fiftieth anniversary of the re-establishment of the 
sovereign and independent modern State of Israel.
  It commends the people of Israel for their remarkable achievements in 
building a new state and a pluralistic democratic society in the Middle 
East in the face of terrorism, hostility and belligerence by many of 
her neighbors.
  It reaffirms the bonds of friendship and cooperation which have 
existed between the United States and Israel for the past half-century 
and which have been significant for both countries.
  And it extends the warmest congratulations and best wishes to the 
State of Israel and her people for a peaceful and prosperous and 
successful future.
  Mr. President, I urge all Senators to join me in sending our 
congratulations to Israel on this noteworthy day.
  Mr. KERREY. Mr. President, I rise today to offer my congratulations 
on the upcoming 50th Anniversary of the founding of the state of 
Israel. Throughout Israel and the United States, people will gather 
together to commemorate this anniversary, to reflect upon the 
accomplishments of the Israeli people, and to look forward to the new 
millennium.
  Not unlike the founding of our own nation, a small group of leaders 
gathered in the Tel Aviv Museum at 4:00 on May 14, 1948 to realize a 
dream by formally declaring the creation of the state of Israel. Few 
Americans may be aware that within 11 minutes of that declaration, 
President Harry Truman had taken the necessary steps to offer formal 
diplomatic recognition to this new nation, making the United States the 
first nation to recognize Israel as a sovereign state. From that point, 
the United States and Israel cemented a friendship based on our common 
bonds: from cultural and religious ties to a mutual belief in the power 
of democracy to the assurance of a peaceful, prosperous future.
  Each time I have visited Israel, I have been impressed with the hope 
for the future expressed by her people. This hope exists despite the 
challenges Israel has faced from the moment of its creation. In many 
ways, I believe these challenges have helped the Israeli people create 
a society that serves as an example to all nations.
  It is a society based on democracy. In a region where the seeds of 
democracy have not fully taken root, Israel has a vibrant democracy 
with strong public participation. It is a prosperous society. Despite a 
wide variety of economic challenges, Israel's economy has grown to the 
point where per capita income rivals that of most Western nations. 
Finally, it is a society based on opportunity. Like our own country, 
Israel is a nation of immigrants. It is a nation that has gathered 
people from around the world with the promise of political and 
religious freedom.
  Today, Israel continues to face challenges as it prepares to move 
into the 21st Century. As the people of Israel seek to achieve economic 
independence, ensure their security, and create a lasting peace with 
their neighbors, they do so with the assurance of the continued strong 
relationship with the United States.
  Mr. President, the words Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion delivered in 
his address to a new nation still ring true today:

       Whatever we have achieved is the result of the efforts of 
     earlier generations no less than our own. It is also the 
     result of unwavering fidelity to our precious heritage, the 
     heritage of a small nation that has suffered much, but at the 
     same time has won for itself a special place in the history 
     of mankind because of its spirit, faith, and vision.

  Mr. President, again, I offer my congratulations to the people of 
Israel on this 50th Anniversary. We share with them the bond of 
democracy and the hope of a peaceful and prosperous future.
  Mr. COATS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the joint 
resolution be considered as read a third time and passed, the motion to 
reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements relating to 
the resolution appear at this point in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The joint resolution (H.J. Res. 102) was passed.

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