[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Page 6356]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   CONGRATULATING THE STATE OF ISRAEL

  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, it is a privilege to be able to offer my 
most sincere congratulations to the State of Israel as it celebrates 
its 60th anniversary of independence. I am so proud that Israel has not 
only survived, but has become one of the most prosperous and successful 
democracies anywhere in the world.
  The Israeli National Anthem, Hatikvah, means, ``The Hope.'' That is 
really what the modern State of Israel has been about over these 60 
years. Founded after the horrors of the Holocaust, the Jewish people 
created a place where their faith and history could be secured and 
passed from generation to generation. In this place, never again would 
dictators or fanatics be able to systematically persecute, terrorize, 
and murder entire communities or an entire people.
  Hope sustained the Jewish people through 3,000 years of persecution 
that culminated in the evils of the Holocaust. And for the last 60 
years, that same sense of hope for the future has allowed the people of 
Israel to persevere in the face of continual assaults on its very 
existence, whether they are in the form of war, terrorism, or 
assassination.
  As Israel celebrates this milestone, I am proud to say that the 
United States has been by its side, offering support and assistance, 
and watching it grow into an unparalleled partner in promoting the 
ideals of democracy, personal freedom, and human rights.
  The United States has also tirelessly supported Israel as it 
continues to seek lasting peaceful coexistence with its neighbors to 
bring a permanent end to years of suffering and senseless violence. And 
we will continue to be there to support them in that effort.
  When Yitzhak Rabin went before the Knesset in October 1995 to discuss 
the ratification of the Israeli-Palestinian interim agreement, he said 
the following:
  ``Here, in the land of Israel, we returned and built a nation. Here, 
in the land of Israel, we established a state. The land of the 
prophets, which bequeathed to the world the values of morality, law and 
justice, was, after two thousand years, restored to its lawful owners--
the members of the Jewish people. On its land, we have built an 
exceptional national home and state.''
  Israel is indeed an exceptional nation state, and this milestone is a 
great testament to the hope, faith, and perseverance of the Jewish 
people. I offer my congratulations to Israel on the 60th anniversary of 
its founding.

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