[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 80 (Thursday, May 15, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H4049-H4050]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       ISRAEL'S 60TH ANNIVERSARY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Sarbanes) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SARBANES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Israel's 
60th anniversary.
  My first visit to Israel was in 1985. It was during the time of the 
Ethiopian airlift, before the first Intifada, before the second 
Intifada, and a decade before the tragic assassination of Prime 
Minister Rabin.
  I can remember feeling deeply moved by the powerful mix of history, 
culture and religion, the sheer humanity that pulsated through the tiny 
nation of Israel and those charged with its stewardship. I realized, 
too, that America's stake in the existence and preservation of Israel 
was nearly as fundamental as the stake of Israel's own citizens, not

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just because of Israel's role as a strategic military ally in what is a 
notoriously unstable part of the world, although that alone would 
justify the maintenance of strong aid and assistance to Israel, not 
just because of Israel's status as the only true democracy in the 
Middle East, although that, too, would call upon the United States to 
give its unwavering support. Beyond those things, for many Americans 
there is a deeper, usually unspoken reason that the United States must 
never depart from its staunch support for the State of Israel. In the 
wake of World War II and its tragic legacy for the Jewish people, the 
existence of Israel will always be a profound moral and spiritual 
imperative for the United States.
  On a return trip just 2 years ago, I had the opportunity to witness 
the growth and change that has occurred in Israel since my first visit 
a generation earlier. From the technology being developed in the 
``Silicon Wadi'' to the advances in health care and preservation of the 
ecosystem, Israel is a model for other industrialized nations.
  Mr. Speaker, in the last 60 years, Israel has demonstrated time and 
time again its value to the world, not just in geopolitical terms, but 
in what its people have given us in ingenuity, innovation and 
expression. This anniversary offers us an occasion to thank the people 
of Israel for their strength, their courage, and their enormous 
contributions to our global community.

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