[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 55 (Tuesday, April 27, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E672]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          CELEBRATING THE ANNIVERSARY OF ISRAEL'S INDEPENDENCE

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                         HON. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 27, 2004

  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate Yom 
Ha'Atzmaut, the anniversary of the Independence of the State of Israel.
  It took a horrific, unimaginable Holocaust for the world to finally 
acknowledge the need to establish a homeland for the Jewish people, to 
shield it from the persecution and discrimination that it had endured 
for generations. That recognition came in 1948, and the State of Israel 
was born.
  Today it is as important as ever to preserve and safeguard this 
Jewish national homeland and to ensure the security of Israel and its 
people. Never again should a people face annihilation. That is why a 
safe and secure Israel is in everyone's interest.
  We must continue to strive for a settlement of conflict in the Middle 
East that guarantees the right of all people in the region to live in 
peace. That is my wish on this day as we celebrate the independent 
State of Israel.

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