[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 72 (Friday, June 5, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1037-E1038]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




CONGRESSWOMAN NANCY PELOSI PAYS TRIBUTE TO PIONEERS WHO BUILT ISRAEL ON 
                          ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY

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                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, June 5, 1998

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, our distinguished colleague and my friend 
and neighbor in San Francisco, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, is the 
author of an excellent article marking the 50th anniversary of the 
establishment of the modern state of Israel. The article, which 
appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle on Wednesday, June 4, is an 
outstanding discussion of the commitment to the dream of the state of 
Israel by those pioneers who, from the ashes of the Holocaust, made the 
desert bloom.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that Congresswoman Pelosi's article be placed in 
the Record. I commend this article to my colleagues, and I urge them to 
give it careful and thoughtful attention.

       [From the San Francisco Chronicle, Thursday, June 4, 1998]

                Diverse Group of Pioneers Built a Dream

                           (By Nancy Pelosi)

       As Israel celebrates its 50th anniversary, we in the United 
     States join in celebrating 50 years of friendship, a mutually 
     beneficial alliance and the great future possibilities that 
     exist for the U.S.-Israel partnership.
       In looking back over 50 years, it is useful to remind 
     ourselves of Israel's short history. In many ways, it mirrors 
     America's early days as well as those of San Francisco, a 
     city built by pioneers and blessed with diverse and skilled 
     citizens. What we in the United States and the citizens of 
     Israel now take for granted was, only a short time ago, 
     nothing but an improbable dream. Like those who founded our 
     nation, Israel's founding leaders sought to build a nation 
     that would serve as an example to the world and a new home to 
     those who fled oppression and tyranny.
       After only 50 years of independence, a sophisticated, 
     stable, and reliable Western democracy has been built in the 
     sands of the Middle East, a region that cannot claim any 
     other democracies. Israel has developed a world-class 
     educational system and a high-tech economy. During the past 
     50 years, Israel has absorbed immigrants and refugees from 
     more than 100 countries, people with different cultures, 
     languages and backgrounds to create a nation with a common 
     language and a 98 percent literacy rate. Israel has a 
     challenge and a responsibility to continue to combat 
     prejudice and respect the cultural heritage of Jews from 
     other countries as well as the rights of Arabs in Israel.
       As a nation of immigrants who have sacrificed for freedom, 
     independence and democracy, we Americans have shared in the 
     tragedies and triumphs of the Israeli people during their 
     first 50 years. In fact, Israel's survival would not have 
     been possible without the help and friendship of the U.S. 
     government. Israel continues to face existential threats and 
     challenges; her future cannot, unfortunately, be taken for 
     granted.
       Only seven years ago, SCUD missiles fired by Saddam Hussein 
     were directed at Israel's population centers but, 
     fortunately, caused minimal damage. Since those attacks, 
     Saddam Hussein has made no secret of the fact that he is 
     seeking more accurate missiles and the biological and 
     chemical arsenal to cause devastation within Israel.
       Iran is well on the way to acquiring the technology needed 
     to build its own accurate missiles as well as actively 
     seeking a nuclear, biological and chemical weapons 
     capability. So, in many ways, the challenges to Israel of the 
     next 50 years are far greater than those of the first 50.

[[Page E1038]]

       For many reasons--strategic, historic, religious and 
     moral--American support for Israel has been generous. The 
     United States has played and will continue to play an 
     important role in ensuring Israel's success. As a member of 
     Congress, and as the senior Democrat on the Appropriations 
     Committee's Foreign Operations Subcommittee, I am proud to 
     have had a unique opportunity to help build and maintain the 
     very special relationship that exists between the United 
     States and Israel. That relationship will continue to serve 
     both nations as we look ahead--as friends and partners and 
     allies--to the special challenges we face together in the 
     next 50 years.

     

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