[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 44 (Thursday, April 18, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E588]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING THE STATE OF ISRAEL ON THE OCCASION OF ITS 54TH INDEPENDENCE 
                                  DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KEN BENTSEN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 18, 2002

  Mr. BENTSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the State of 
Israel and join in sending our good wishes to the people of Israel, on 
occasion of Israel's 54th year of independence. Regrettably, 
commemoration of this important milestone comes at one of the darkest 
and most isolated points in Israel's 54-year history. All over Israel, 
the traditional celebratory activities have been canceled due to 
increased security risks due to an unprecedented wave of suicide 
bombings that has struck almost every corner of the country since the 
intifada commenced.
  Mr. Speaker, every year Israelis stand and memorialize the soldiers 
who have given their lives so that Israelis can continue to live free 
in their land, and the next day Israelis celebrate their independence. 
It is no coincidence that Israel's Memorial Day and Independence Day 
are observed side-by-side. For far too many years in Israel's history, 
death and independence have been inexorably linked. Only on 
Independence Day during the nearly disastrous Yom Kippur War of 1973 do 
Israelis recall being so threatened, and even then the fighting was 
among soldiers at the front who could be reasonably certain their wives 
and children were not in imminent danger.
  Mr. Speaker, in a recently-published poll conducted by Israel's 
largest daily newspaper, Yediot Aharonot, 53% Israelis said they would 
be afraid to celebrate Independence Day in an open public place and 
definitely would not do so. Living with the threat of terror is a new 
reality for America after September 11th. Israelis have had to live 
with the threat of violence almost every day, which has intensified 
since January 2002.
  Mr. Speaker, the breakdown of the peace process in the Middle East 
and the recent escalation of violence should be a matter of great 
concern to the United States. The United States' close friendship with 
Israel dates back to May 14, 1948, when President Harry S. Truman 
announced our recognition of this new nation, within moments of its 
declaring independence. Since that time, the United States has, time-
and-again, offered its support to Israel in its struggle to survive and 
has played in advancing the peace process. As history has shown, strong 
U.S. leadership, particularly from the President, is necessary if there 
is to be any progress toward Mideast peace. That is why Presidents 
Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton and now Bush, have all 
involved themselves in the quest for an end to the conflict. Today, the 
challenge is to help guide Israel and its Palestinian neighbors back on 
the path for peace.
  Mr. Speaker, on this important day, I think it is instructive to look 
back at what the late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin said, when 
he received his Nobel Peace Prize in 1994, to understand Israel's 
struggle for peace. ``We will pursue the course of peace with 
determination and fortitude. We will not let up. We will not give in. 
Peace will triumph over all its enemies, because the alternative is 
grimmer for us all. And we will prevail.''
  Mr. Speaker, my greatest hope for Israel on it's 54th Day of 
Independence is the realization of its greatest hope--to live in peace 
with its neighbors with security for its people.

                          ____________________