[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 65 (Wednesday, April 23, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E695]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDING OF THE MODERN STATE OF 
                                 ISRAEL

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                               speech of

                          HON. JOHN S. TANNER

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 22, 2008

  Mr. TANNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my strong support 
for H. Con. Res. 322, a resolution commemorating the 60th anniversary 
of the founding of the modern State of Israel. I am proud to be a 
cosponsor of this important resolution.
  The movement to establish a modern homeland for the Jewish people 
launched in 1896 with the publication of Theodore Herzl's The Jewish 
State. Out of the atrocities and horrors of the Second World War, the 
long sought dream of re-establishing that homeland was finally 
realized. In 1948, Israel claimed its hard-fought independence.
  Since Israel's beginnings, the United States has held a special bond 
with this important ally. As the only liberal democracy in the region, 
Israel knows all too well what it means to fight against violent agents 
of intolerance and religious extremism for the sake of personal freedom 
and fair government. From the birth of their modern state, the Israeli 
people have struggled to keep and maintain their homeland.
  I have had the great privilege of traveling to Israel. It is only in 
visiting this great country, that one can appreciate the beauty, 
history and danger that dominate the lives of its everyday citizens. 
Nowhere in the world is there such a confluence of religion and faith. 
However, peaceful worship often gives way to violent conflict, and 
despite the holiness of the land, terrorism has become all too common 
in this region.
  We have stood with Israel in its fight against terrorism, and we will 
continue to do so. For six decades, our shared commitments to democracy 
and freedom, as well as our shared cultural heritage, have kept the 
link between our two nations close, despite existing in very different 
parts of the world. With passage of this resolution, we honor that bond 
and look forward to our continued friendship.

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