[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 51 (Thursday, April 30, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S3957]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       ISRAEL'S 50TH ANNIVERSARY

 Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, there is a notable chorus of 
Senators congratulating the people of Israel and their government on 
the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Israel's birth. There are few 
things that have not been said on the subject of Israel--friend, ally, 
democracy. The Congress has spoken on countless occasions about 
Jerusalem, our commitment to Israel's security, and to peace in the 
Middle East.
  In the end, however, all these expressions, as heartfelt as they are, 
pale beside the real miracle of the Jewish people, in exile for 2000 
years, having returned to the land of Israel. And on that tiny piece of 
land, smaller than the State of New Jersey, an incredible nation has 
been built--a nation that has survived five wars, untold numbers of 
terrorist attacks, and the hostility of most of its neighbors.
  Israel has absorbed millions of immigrants, providing homes, and 
jobs, and schools and freedom. Year to year, day to day, Israel may not 
look precisely like a land of milk and honey, but for the Jews of 
Europe who survived the Holocaust, and the Russians who survived 
Communism, it is the Promised Land.
  Israel is great, not merely because its creation is the fulfillment 
of a biblical promise, or because it is a faithful friend to the United 
States. It is great because the people of Israel are great people. I 
congratulate my friend, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and all the 
people of Israel.

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