[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 62 (Thursday, May 12, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E955]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               ON THE OCCASION OF ISRAEL INDEPENDENCE DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. STEVEN R. ROTHMAN

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 12, 2005

  Mr. ROTHMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate Israel 
Independence Day, the anniversary of the founding of the State of 
Israel. Forged from the fire of conflict that raged through 3 
continents in the mid-twentieth century, the State of Israel has 
survived and endured the cauldron of the Middle East to emerge as a 
strong and vibrant democracy--the only one of its kind in the region--
with the resilient strength of tempered steel.
  Israel was indeed born in a turbulent time and place in world 
history. Fifty-seven years ago from Saturday, the great Zionist leader 
David Ben-Gurion, proclaimed the birth of the State of Israel. The very 
next day, a mere 11 minutes after the official expiration of the 
British Mandate in Palestine, President Harry S. Truman announced the 
official recognition by the United States of the State of Israel. The 
bonds between our nation and Israel have endured throughout the history 
of the Zionist state, and today are stronger than ever.
  Nothing, however, has come easily for the State of Israel. On the 
very day that President Truman made his historic announcement, 5 Arab 
states attacked Israel. The initial public radio address by the first 
Israeli Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, was made from an air-raid 
shelter in Tel Aviv, whose skies were darkened that very day by bombs 
dropped from Egyptian aircraft.
  Yet despite all the odds, despite a history of being outnumbered and 
surrounded by hostile nations, the people and the State of Israel--
which, geographically speaking, is slightly smaller than my own state 
of New Jersey--have endured, and thrived. Although Israel still faces 
tremendous challenges today to the security of its citizenry and its 
borders, the indomitable spirit that guided the pioneers of a new 
nation remains a source of powerful inspiration and an enduring legacy 
to the Israeli people.
  My distinguished colleagues, I ask that you join me in recognizing 
the remarkable human achievement that is the State of Israel. As the 
representatives of a freedom-loving nation, we are proud to celebrate 
the anniversary of the birth of the State of Israel and its success as 
a beacon of democracy to all people.

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