[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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