[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 9647]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




OFFERING CONGRATULATIONS TO THE STATE OF ISRAEL ON ITS 57TH ANNIVERSARY 
                            OF INDEPENDENCE

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TIM HOLDEN

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 12, 2005

  Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate the people of the 
State of Israel on the celebration of the 57th anniversary of 
its founding. Known in Hebrew as Yom 
Ha'atzmaut, this special day marks the historic date in 1948 on which 
the British Mandate over Palestine expired and the State of Israel was 
proclaimed.
  Each year, this celebration comes on the heels of Yom Ha'zikaron, 
Israel's Memorial Day, when the nation expresses its eternal debt and 
gratitude to the more than 20,000 soldiers who gave their lives to 
secure the country's independence and defend its continued existence.
  Israel and the United States have shared a special bond since the 
founding of the modern Jewish State in 1948. The United States was the 
first country to recognize Israel, only 11 minutes after it was 
officially created. Since then, our two countries have developed a 
rock-solid friendship that does not depend on the parties in power 
either in Washington or Jerusalem. Over the past half-century, 
bipartisan support for Israel has been a staple of every Congress 
regardless of which party is in the majority and which in the minority.
  Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East, a region dominated 
by authoritarian and military regimes. Our two nations share the 
fundamental principles of freedom and equality. Both were established 
by immigrants, who sought freedom from oppression. Both stand as 
symbols of liberty and pluralism in a world still marked by 
authoritarianism and intolerance. Both have provided safe havens for 
oppressed people from all parts of the globe and both are rooted in the 
unshakable tenets of democracy, human dignity, individual rights, and 
religious freedom.
  Once again Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to offer my sincere 
congratulations to the people of Israel on this joyous occasion.

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