[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 18]
[House]
[Page 24686]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1030
                        MY FIRST VISIT TO ISRAEL

  (Mr. McHENRY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, traveling to the Holy Land in August, I saw 
firsthand the challenges facing our ally and friend, Israel. From 
Syria, the terrorist state in the north, to Lebanon and the chaos 
existing there further to the north, to the enemies that surround the 
state, I saw the challenges traveling down the Galilee to the Jordan, 
down to the Dead Sea and going to the capital, Jerusalem.
  While it was my great privilege to walk on that sacred holy ground, I 
also realized the eye-opening national security issues that they face 
as a nation. Israel is our greatest ally in the war against Islamic 
extremists, and it is our function to support them in Israel. It is our 
imperative to support them. That's why our 10-year security agreement 
that we recently signed between the United States and Israel is so 
necessary for the ongoing security, not just of Israel, but of the 
United States. Israel's enemies are our enemies. We share a common 
cause, and it is necessary that we stand strong for Israel because it 
makes us that much stronger.
  I encourage the American people to support our greatest ally in the 
Middle East, Israel.

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