[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 58 (Thursday, April 22, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E640]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING ISRAELI INDEPENDENCE DAY

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                               speech of

                            HON. STEVE COHEN

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 21, 2010

  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 62nd 
anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel, our friend and 
partner. After a process that began with the Balfour Declaration, the 
Mandate of the League of Nations and generations of struggling to 
regain their homeland, the United Nations passed a resolution on 
November 29, 1947 giving Israel the right to exist as a state. On May 
14, 1948, Israel signed a proclamation creating the State of Israel, 
establishing it as a country that will ``ensure complete equality of 
social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of 
religion, race or sex.'' That same night, the United States officially 
recognized Israel as a sovereign nation.
  Despite its unfortunate history of violence, the State of Israel has 
established itself as a world leader and a nation millions of Jews are 
proud to have as their homeland. Considering that Israel is the 
hundredth smallest country in the world with less than one thousandth 
of the world's population, what Israel has been able to accomplish is 
truly remarkable. What separates Israel from almost every other country 
is its truly innovative and entrepreneurial nature.
  With regards to education, Israel has the highest ratio of university 
degrees in the world, so it is no surprise that Israel has become a 
leader in the health, science, and technology fields. In fact, many of 
the technologies we rely upon in the United States were actually 
developed in Israel such as the cell phone, computer operation systems, 
and voicemail technology. As a result of these technological 
developments Israel has developed a $100 billion economy, which is 
larger than the combined economies of all its immediate neighbors.
  Therefore, I rise today to celebrate Israel's Independence and to pay 
my respects to those who have lost their lives defending the nation 
they loved. Although the State of Israel has experienced more than its 
fair share of trying times, it has never lost sight of the noble ideals 
upon which the state was founded: freedom, justice, equality and peace.

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