[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 55 (Tuesday, April 27, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E664]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  ON THE 56TH ISRAELI INDEPENDENCE DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. DENISE L. MAJETTE

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 27, 2004

  Ms. MAJETTE. Mr. Speaker, I rise on this Yom Ha'atzmaut, Israel's 
Independence Day celebration, to congratulate the people of Israel in 
their fifty-sixth year. I would like to recount a brief passage from 
Yitzchak Rabin, a warrior of peace, upon the occasion of his signing a 
Declaration of Principles for the Oslo Peace Accords in Washington, in 
what seems like a forever ago, in 1993. Prime Minister Rabin said then:

       We have come from an anguished and grieving land. We have 
     come from a people, a home, a family that has not known a 
     single year, not a single month, in which mothers have not 
     wept for their sons. We have come to try and put an end to 
     the hostilities so that our children, and our children's 
     children, will no longer experience the painful cost of war, 
     violence and terror. We have come to secure their lives and 
     to ease the sorrow and the painful memories of the past, to 
     hope and pray for peace.

  On the fifty-sixth birthday of the State of Israel, we are still 
praying for that peace. Day after day, hour after hour, we see mothers 
weep for their sons and daughters. But we no longer see those images as 
distant--because it has happened here, too, in the United States. We 
know now that terrorism incurs irreparable pain and loss. The State of 
Israel has known this loss since its modern beginnings in 1948.
  Our loss in the United States connects us to Israel beyond the often 
symbolic, annual gesture of alliance--we are dear friends, and our 
friendship runs deep. It is rooted in the values and ideals we share--
Israel, a vibrant and passionate democracy which includes respect for 
diversity and religious freedom for all faiths, mirrors the proud 
character of the United States
  And so, today, I wish the state of Israel and its citizens a peaceful 
birthday--last year I had the opportunity to visit Israel for the first 
time. Upon seeing the sunrise over the old city walls of Jerusalem, I 
was overwhelmed by the region's history. The leaders and citizens of 
Israel have yearned to achieve their vision of peace since the modern 
State of Israel was born. But this vision eludes us still. We cannot 
let this peaceful image go--we must continually strive to reach it.
  Upon its establishment, the first official recognition of the State 
of Israel came from the United States of America. We have continuously 
demonstrated our support for Israel--and that support will be 
strengthened as we endure the pain of terrorism, and fight the battle 
for a lasting and secure peace, together.

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