[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 51 (Thursday, April 30, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E728]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENSE OF CONGRESS ON 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF FOUNDING OF MODERN STATE OF 
                                 ISRAEL

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. THOMAS M. BARRETT

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 30, 1998

  Mr. BARRETT of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, it is a special privilege for 
me today to honor the nation of Israel on its 50th birthday. On May 14, 
1948--the fifth day of Iyar, 5708 under the Jewish calendar--after 
years without a national homeland, the Jewish people established a new 
country and the historic nation of Israel was reborn. As Israelis 
celebrate their country's 50th anniversary, the international community 
is celebrating with them 50 years of independence.
  In the 5th Congressional District of Wisconsin, the Milwaukee Jewish 
Federation, the Hillel Foundation-Milwaukee, the Jewish Community 
Center, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Center for Jewish 
Studies, the Coalition for Jewish Learning, and other organizations 
have scheduled a series of events to commemorate this occasion. On May 
15th, the Consul General of Israel to the Midwest, Tzipora Rimon, will 
come to Milwaukee to participate in a forum called ``Israel at 50! 
Taking Her Place in the Global Economy.'' I look forward to 
participating in that important conference.
  As someone with a great interest in Israel, Middle Eastern affairs 
and world peace, I believe that the political transformations in this 
region during the past few years have been dramatic. I was deeply 
saddened when Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was felled by an assassin's 
bullet on November 4, 1995. I met with Prime Minister Shimon Peres in 
February, 1996, during a visit to Israel with the group Milwaukee-
Jerusalem 3000. And I listened as his successor Benyamin Netanyahu 
addressed a joint session of Congress, in July 1996. We have come a 
long way, despite attempts by extreme factions to harm Israel and the 
cause of peace in the region.
  I would like to quote an excerpt from Israel's ``declaration of 
independence,'' published 50 years ago as the British mandate over the 
area drew to an end: ``We extend our hand in peace and neighbourliness 
to all the neighbouring states and their peoples, and invite them to 
cooperate with the independent Jewish nation for the common good of 
all.''
  It is in that spirit, and with that faith, that I will continue to 
work with the administration to ensure the United States remains firm 
in its commitment to the security of Israel and to those principles 
necessary to guarantee the success of the Arab-Israeli peace process.

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